TRON: Regenesis
by warriorgrrrl
Summary: It has been 50 cycles since Sam Flynn and Quorra escaped. The Grid is in turmoil. By the Sea of Simulation, a group of programs survive, comfortable with their lives... until the discovery of another, strange, and unstable program changes everything.
1. Rescue

**Well hello all! **

**It's been a while since I've published anything, or even worked on anything. However, after watch Tron Legacy MULTIPLE times, I started writing... and haven't stopped. Here is chapter 1 of what will probably turn out to be a novel length story. Updates will hopefully happen every week, but I can't promise anything. It's getting much longer than I originally anticipated, and chapters are about 10-15 pages at the moment. Here's to everything being on time! And before this is asked, this is not a slash pairing story of Tron and Sam. So for those of you that are concerned, you needn't be, and for those of you who were excited, I'm sorry. ANYHOW...**

**Enjoy! **

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><p><strong>TRON: Regenesis<strong>

**Chapter 1: Rescue**

"GET BACK HERE!"

Pixie ignored the infuriated roar, her feet pounding the sleek street so hard she was surprised that it wasn't cracking. Four other figures ran alongside her, all sprinting away from the owner of the voice. A pack bounced on the back of the head runner, and Pixie reminded herself that they _needed _it. It still didn't make the knots in her stomach go away.

"Pixel, will you keep up!" snapped the program just ahead of her, glaring. Pixie scowled, and picked up her speed. Getting separated out here would probably result in deresolution, and that was not something she was particularly eager to experience. Hell, the guy they'd stolen from had probably called some of the new 'security'. They'd have to get on something faster than feet pretty quick if they were going to make a clean getaway.

As if answering her thoughts, she was handed baton. Almost without thinking, she pulled it, and suddenly she was free. Truly free. She wasn't Pixel, newbie program on a devastated Grid. Nor was she an outlaw of the TRON City. She, Pixie, was a rapidly fading smudge of black into a black wasteland. Hidden and speeding to safety.

Their travel was uneventful, as the Grid had all but been reset since the Sacrifice of the Creator. Nobody came out here, not unless they were desperate or stupid. Which, Pixie reflected, they probably were. Bugs were a common problem, and there were whispers of something even more dangerous out here. Her friends wouldn't tell her, but she'd heard what the programs in the city had said: that the ghost of Clu haunted the wastelands. Pixie personally thought it was all a load of dismembered code, she didn't believe in ghosts, and besides that, there was no place for a ghost to haunt. The wastelands were flat for miles. However, at the moment, the horizon was starting to change, as something glimmered ahead of the black. Pixie felt her whole body relax a little; they were almost home.

The Sea steadily grew until it was no longer a shimmery line, but rather what it really was, a sea. One by one, all the riders cut power to their light cycles, letting them collapse back into the baton form. Pixie slid it into its holster and joined her friends.

"Is everyone alright?" asked the lead program, revealing a scarred and hardened face. _Rex_, Pixie thought, naming him automatically.

"That was cutting it really close," said the program who'd snapped at Pixie back in the city. _Sync._

"What did you expect? Times aren't exactly easy," said a soft female voice, "Everyone is still facing the challenges from the Sacrifice." _Tera, Rex's partner._ Rex, Sync, and Codee all nodded in agreement as they started walking towards their camp out. All of them from different backgrounds, with different purposes, and now all hiding together for protection. It wasn't the life Pixie had expected when she first was created, but it was the only one she had now. The Grid was much less forgiving than it had been, even in the days of Clu.

"You'd think it'd be getting better now, though," said Pixie finally, stepping into the conversation. "It's been cycles since the Sacrifice." Everyone paused whatever they were doing and looked at her, even mute Codee. She suddenly felt very small reminded of the fact that out of all of them, she was the only one who hadn't been in existence before the Sacrifice. Sync looked even more annoyed than usual, turning to glare at her.

"Says the little program. Why hasn't naivety killed you yet, Pixel?" he snapped. Pixie opened her mouth to reply, but Rex stepped in, narrowing his eyes at both of them.

"Sync, shut your mouth. Pixie, we've been over the Sacrifice time and again. It's not going to fix itself in a couple of cycles. Now, _both_ of you get to camp before something else happens." Rex let the 'else' hang in the air as he walked away. Sync scowled first at Rex's back, then at Pixie before following their leader. Pixie stayed where she was, still feeling horribly embarrassed by the whole situation. Of course the Grid wouldn't be fixed immediately, that was what the Users were for... But she'd hoped that things would get better after all this time. Maybe they'd abandoned them all over again...

Something brushed her shoulder, and she jumped; it was Codee, looking at her sympathetically. He gave her a small smile and shrug, patting her arm. She smiled back, taking his hand.

"Thanks, Codee," she said, knowing what he meant. His smile widened, and he pulled her along to where the others were. Pixie kept her smile, but she still felt the small ping of sadness when she always did when seeing Codee. He'd been mute for as long as she'd known him, but according to Tera, he hadn't always. It had been an accident not long before the Sacrifice that he'd lost his speaking abilities. She still didn't know how, and nobody was willing to tell her, although Rex always got furious whenever the topic was brought up (which was almost never), and Tera would always look sad, often going off to think about something for micro-cycles. Pixie had learned very quickly never to talk about it. It didn't seem to bother Codee, which was good; he was just as hard working and wily as the rest of them.

As they descended into their small home, the other three had already had gone about their usual duties: Rex sorted out what they'd 'borrowed', Tera organized anything she could get her hands on, and Sync was on sentry duty. Codee joined Tera while Pixie set about doing her job: pulling up the disguises. They were situated on a small cave of sorts, overlooking the Sea, but every once in a while a Recognizer would fly by. After one scare, Pixie's talent of creating illusions became highly useful, even though they needed to be reapplied every few cycles.

"How you feeling, Pixie?" said Rex, stuffing the transport packs into a small cavity. Pixie shrugged, focussing on creating the overhang. The illusions could sometimes take a lot out of her, but at the moment it wasn't any worse than any she'd experienced before.

"Fine, same as usual," she said finally, standing up as she finished. Rex nodded absently, then called over the others from their positions. They all gathered around in a circle, all eagerly waiting for what was coming next.

"It's been a hard day," began Rex, pulling out two thermoses and five mugs, "And we've worked hard. So, I propose a drink." He handed out the mugs and opened the first thermos. Something light and blue glowed within before splashing into Tera's mug. "Here's to us. We deserve this."

The Energy was passed around, and with every swallow, Pixie felt her strength return. Everyone else was the same way, from Rex actually smiling, to Sync not looking like he was on the verge of killing someone.

"We did good today," said Tera, setting her now empty glass down. "And this was well deserved." This time she looked up at Rex, her face seeming to glow with something more than just reflection of her suit circuitry. Her partner ran his finger tips over her cheek, actually looking gentle. Pixie admired their relationship, their spark of happiness in such a very unhappy time.

Sync coughed.

Rex and Tera broke off the moment, each immediately falling back into their typical selves. Tera began collecting the now empty mugs, stacking them for later use. Rex observed, then turned his gaze on Sync.

"You'll take first watch. Pixie, you'll go after, and I'll take the last one," he growled.

"Aw, come on‒"

"No arguments Sync." Rex straightened, turning his attention to all the programs, "If you have anything that needs repairs, hand it over to me. If you don't, get some rest. Except you, Sync." Sync scowled, but didn't argue again; despite his prickly attitude, he knew when to shut up and do his job. He stood up and left the confines of the make shift cave, making his way to the small outcrop hanging over the Sea. Pixie liked the place personally; there was a great view of the sea, and looking the other way, one could see anything coming long before hearing it.

Codee nudged her, pointing to their hibernation pads with his usual easy grin. Pixie shared it, actually looking forward to some real down time; Energy was great, but combining it with real rest always brought out the best in all of them. She unfolded her own, making sure it was in the correct position before lying down; an identity disc in the wrong place meant stiffness when coming out of hibernation.

"So what are we doing tomorrow?" she asked, staring up at the roof of their 'cave'.

"Sync and I are heading back to the city; we need to do a good news scope. You're welcome to come along, but stay on the low. We don't need any unneeded attention," Rex replied, bent over someone's katana, his face alight from the glow of exposed data.

Pixie closed her eyes, already feeling her body slowing down. "Maybe..." Before she could say anything else, she was in hibernation.

Dreams were primarily a User attribute, but it wasn't unheard of for programs to have them, and Pixie was no stranger to dreams. Tera thought it was because she was an image manipulation program, but personally Pixie didn't care. She loved dreaming. The dreams were always happy, a perfect Grid where everyone could do what they were purposed for and not face deresolution or going to the games for no reason. She could go where she wanted, do what she wanted... Rex and Tera could live in happiness, Sync wasn't so angry all the time, and Codee could talk again. And their saviour, he was there to welcome them‒

"Hey!"

Pixie jerked awake, unsure if she'd actually heard Sync or not.

"There's something down by the shore!" This time she knew she hadn't misheard, and she sat up in an instant, her body suddenly feeling very cold. Rex and Tera were already on their feet, discs in hand.

"Where?" called Rex. Before anyone could say anything else, Sync reappeared, actually looking worried.

"Not that far from us, almost directly below... I think it's a program," he said uneasily, "Look, you have to come look, I think something's wrong." The air grew thick with tension, everyone looking at Sync, and Sync looking at Rex.

"Lead the way," said Rex finally, he and Tera making their way to follow the younger program. Pixie and Codee made to stand up and help as well, but Tera held out her hand.

"Stay here, just in case," she told them, looking more like a warrior than the usual matronly figure she was. Pixie opened her mouth to protest, but Tera just gave her a warning look, then relaxed a little. "If you two could clear off one of the spare hibernation mats, that would be wonderful. Whoever this is, they're probably not in the greatest shape." With that, she ran after the other two, all three of them quickly disappearing from site.

Pixie stared into empty space for a moment, completely confused, then looked at Codee.

"Who could possibly be out here?" she asked aloud before she caught the look of cold apprehension on his face. "Are you alright?" Codee shrugged his shoulders rather violently, suddenly very agitated. He held up his hand, fingers outstretched, then pointed out to the Sea, closing three of his fingers. The two left he jerked up, towards the sky. He paused for a few seconds before hesitantly lifting the first three once more. One he put down slowly, looking exceptionally sad. One he put down more quickly, this time looking very angry. The last he put down the fastest, and a flash of absolute fear and rage crossed his face so quick that, had she blinked, Pixie would have missed it. He then pointed to the Sea, and look of wonder crossed into his gaze. Pixie followed his finger to where it pointed, supposedly the place where the Portal had been, the gateway between here and the User world. However, she now knew what Codee was trying to communicate: the Sacrifice and its key players. The two that had escaped, the User Sam Flynn and the ISO Quorra. The three that had fallen, the Creator Kevin Flynn, the oppressor Clu, and the mass murderer Rinzler.

"But they were all destroyed, weren't they? The Creator destroyed both of them?" she asked finally, looking back at Codee. He shrugged again, but he looked far from happy. Pixie reached out to take his hand‒

"Get the mat ready!" exclaimed Tera, all three of them suddenly reappearing from where they had gone only moments before. Her tone made Pixie snap her head around to see what had happened, immediately thinking that Sync or Rex had been seriously injured, but everyone was in one piece.

At least, Tera, Rex, and Sync were. The program Sync and Rex were supporting looked dangerously close to derezzing.

"What are you waiting for? Get the damn mat!"

It jumpstarted Pixie and Codee. She immediately shoved the other mats out of the way, only leaving one out in the center, Codee clearing away anything in the way of the others.

"Watch his head," growled Rex, ducking low as he entered the cave, his face even more strained than normal. Pixie had never seen her friends look so serious, even when they talked about the Sacrifice. But as she caught a look at the program as they laid him down, she understood. Whoever he was, he really was just moments from derezzing, his circuitry flickering weakly.

"What happened?" asked Pixie, staring at him. Tera didn't answer right away, instead tossing Rex the full thermos of Energy.

"We don't know," she said finally, watching as Rex and Sync tried to save the program. Rex dribbled Energy into his mouth while Sync made sure his disc was properly connected to the mat. Nothing changed for what seemed too long, but the program's circuitry flickered more intensely than it had before. Still, his eyes remained shut.

"Come on, you piece of scrap code‒"

The program sat bolt upright, sending Rex sprawling. He stared ahead blindly for a moment as his chest heaved, circuitry flashing dangerously bright.

Tera took a step forward tentatively, reaching out to touch his shoulder. "Excuse me‒"

He moved faster than any of them had time to comprehend, throwing Tera flat on her back and holding his disc to her throat. Rex and Sync had their discs out almost as fast, and Pixie fumbled for her own; she hadn't been expecting this program to restart so aggressively. Rex made to throw his disc, but Tera held up her hand, her eyes still fixed with the program seemingly intent on killing her.

"Wait! Don't," she said, her eyes flicking to Rex for the just the barest second, "Don't... We're not trying to hurt you, we found you down by the Sea." The program froze at her words, his body starting to tremble. His eyes left hers for the first time, and he looked around. When his gaze passed over her, Pixie felt herself shrink back involuntarily; whoever this program was, he was nothing like anything she'd seen before. For several moments, she didn't know whether to be terrified or sorry for him.

After his visual sweep, he looked back down at the still pinned Tera. "Where am I?" he rasped.

"You're safe, I promise you‒" Tera was cut off as the program pressed his disc harder against her throat.

"Where. Am. I?" he repeated. His circuitry dulled, and for a moment, seemed to change colour.

"You're in a cave just off the Sea of Simulation. My friends and I found, down by the shoreline. We have no intention of harming you, I swear on the Creator," Tera explained quickly, actually looking worried now. The program faltered, then sat down heavily to the side, shaking visibly. Tera sat up tentatively. "You were extremely close to derezzing, and we weren't willing to let that happen."

"Although maybe we should now, you ungrateful‒"

"Sync!"

The program didn't acknowledge their words, his head bent over his knees. "I deserve to be derezzed." Pixie looked at him sharply, wondering if she'd heard correct or not. Deresolution wasn't something to be taken lightly, and if this program had indeed said he needed to be derezzed, than she could only wonder what he'd done before this. However, as she continued to study him, she felt pity take over fear; he looked some completely lost and miserable, it was hard not to.

"What's your name?" snapped Rex, now holding out his disc threateningly. The program didn't respond right away, still looking at the ground. "Program! Your name..." The program looked up, suddenly looking more than a little scared. He was silent for a moment, then‒

"Nort. My name is Nort," he said, "I‒I was designated a security program." Rex relaxed a little, lowering his disc.

"Good to know. I'm Rex, this is my partner Tera. What were you doing in the Sea of all places?" Rex certainly wasn't someone to mince words.

Nort started to look scared again, breaking eye contact with Rex. "I don't remember... It's been so long." He looked back out at the Sea, back to everyone. Tera approached him, but this time kept well out of reach.

"Listen, Nort, you should really get some rest. You won't fully recover for a while as it is, and..." she trailed off, not knowing how to address what had caused his situation in the first place. Nort nodded slowly, still looking at the Sea.

"And I've been through a lot." He tried to stand up, but promptly fell back down, starting to shake again. He didn't move, save for the shaking. His circuitry flickered ominously, and now Pixie knew she wasn't imagining things when she thought she'd seen it change colour; there was a distinct red hue to it.

"... The Users, for the Users..." he hissed under his breath, "Fight for the Users..." Everyone stared at him, and apprehensive curiosity picked at Pixie. Who _was_ this program? Who fought for the Users, especially these days?

Tera made to go help him, but he thrust his hand out. "Don't touch me! Please‒don't touch me." He managed to pull himself into sitting position. "Just give me a mat, I'll be fine." Rex and Tera exchanged a look while Sync rolled his eyes.

"If you're sure..."

"I'm sure. It's all I'll need," he assured, trying to look like he was fine. Pixie could see he wasn't, his fingers still trembling slightly. Still, when he was handed a mat, he set up in a very well mannered way, making sure it faced the Sea. Everyone waited till he had lain back down and was in hibernation before talking again.

"We should just derezz him," Sync said immediately, glaring death at the now sleeping program. Codee gave a tentative nod, also eyeing Nort with something reminiscent of the look he'd had when explaining the history of the Sea to Pixie earlier. She looked at her friend, surprised, but he didn't look back.

Rex sighed, looking torn, "I know what you're thinking, but we can't do that. He could be useful."

"And whether we like it or not, we could use another program to help. We've been struggling far too long," added Tera, taking a gentler tone. At this, everyone became quiet. Pixie remembered who they were talking about, and knew Tera was telling the truth; although they were managing okay on their own, ideal Grid work meant going in pairs, and they were one short at the moment. This Nort program could be just who they were looking for.

"We should at least give him a chance," said Pixie, surprising the others as she spoke up. "I mean, he's probably looking for help as much as we are. Why can't we both benefit?" Rex gave her his odd smile, as if her words solved the problem.

"Good point, and well put. You're learning, Pixie," he said approvingly. "Alright, for the time being, be nice to Nort and try and accept him despite his... differences. If he meshes well, I don't see why he can't stay."

"And if he doesn't?" asked Sync.

"Then he's out on his own." He looked up at the sky; for once, it looked clear. "Now, let's all get some rest. Pixie, you're on watch now. Sync, grab a mat." Pixie sighed inwardly, but she wasn't in the mood to protest, nor would she win the argument. She knew it was her turn, and whining about it would get her nowhere. She started to walk towards the look out, keeping well away from Nort, but Rex grabbed her arm.

"If he starts acting up again, don't hesitate to either get one of us or derezz him yourself. He's not stable," he whispered, studying Nort with deep seated suspicion.

"But, you said‒"

"We're giving him a chance, Pixie. That doesn't mean he's immune to our decisions. He screws up, he's gone." He looked at her, trying to make her understand.

She didn't like it. She knew why Rex had said it, but she didn't agree with it. Judging by Rex's look of sympathy, he knew she didn't like his orders. He didn't say anymore, just clapped her on the shoulder as he headed to the cave. At long last, the wasteland fell silent, save the whisper of the Sea lapping at the shore below. Blowing out a deep breath, Pixie made her way to the lookout point, settling down. The view ahead of her, overlooking the Sea, was the most beautiful in her opinion, and had always served as a source of comfort, as it did now.

Sync would have chalked it down to her being a fairly new program, and therefore inexperienced in the ways of Grid life, and she had to admit he was probably right. Thirty cycles wasn't a long time, not when one considered all that had happened. She hadn't seen the mythical ISOs, the Betrayal, the Age of Clu, or the Sacrifice, not that things now were much better now, despite reassurances from her friends. She knew that having a perfect life wasn't possible, Clu was proof of that, but couldn't everyone at least _try?_ She knew enough about the current situation the Grid was in now to know it was on the brink of chaos. Why couldn't programs help one another? It wasn't that hard!

"You must have some answers," she said to the sky, addressing the Users that were supposedly on the other side. "Or do you even exist?" If there was anything she was cynical about, it was the Users. They'd abandoned them again, and it wasn't like their history with the programs was all glowing and music. Maybe they'd all died. She sighed, kicking out her feet. If there was one thing she didn't like, it was the fact that her mind would always wander when she was on watch. The Sea glistened out in front of her, and she tried to focus on the shifting data, letting her command processes slow.

As it was, she was able to calm down and stop thinking cynical thoughts. The Sea did that to her, lulling her until she almost drifted off into a light sleep. Still, when her shift was done, she wasn't unhappy. Actual hibernation would be nice after all the excitement tonight. Standing up, she stretched working out any bits of stiff coding that had creeped up on her while sitting. Giving one last look at the Sea, she started back to the hide out.

Everything seemed still as she approached, everyone but Nort hidden well within the depths of the cave. She was just about to go in when she heard something.

"No... don't... don't do it," mumbled a voice. Pixie paused at the mouth of the cave, looking back at Nort. He wasn't moving, let alone talking. She shook her head, admonishing herself for being too imaginative. She put her right foot into the cave, then‒

"Don't! Stop!"

"Shut up..." mumbled Sync from within, but Pixie paid him no attention. This time she was sure she'd heard Nort. She didn't move for a moment, debating what to do.

"Don't make me do this, please," Nort whimpered. He sounded like he was in pain. Pixie battled with herself for a couple more picocycles, then walked back to the still hibernating program. As she got within touching distance, she could see that he was trembling again, his frame almost seeming to vibrate.

"Nort, Nort wake up," she whispered, touching his shoulder gently. He didn't wake up, but he jerked violently.

"I will not, I will NOT‒"

"Nort! Wake‒"

"NO!" Nort's eyes burst open, staring wildly. He looked like he'd been claimed by a virus. Pixie jumped back, trying to decide what to do.

"Nort?" she said tentatively, looking at him with wide eyes. He froze at her words. "Nort, are you okay?"

He sat up shakily, meeting her gaze. _He looks awful_, Pixie thought, and he did. Hair in disarray, eyes overly bright, still shaking, he could have passed as data pusher on its last cycles.

"What‒what did I say?" he asked her, trying to guard his expression. She shook her head.

"Nothing, really, just that you didn't want to do something," she answered, "What... what didn't you want to do?" Nort's expression became incredibly sad and he looked away.

"Something I should never have done," he murmured, half to himself. Despite her earlier reservations, Pixie scooted over to sit closer to him.

"Was it bad?"

His mouth turned upwards in a very bitter smile. "Yes, it was." They fell silent, staring at the Sea. Pixie picked at the edge of battered Grid she was sitting on. She'd never known any program to do something so bad they had nightmares. Even with her imagination, she couldn't conceive what in the Users Nort had done to make him like this. Out of the corner of her eye, she studied him; thin nose, even facial structure... Physically, there was nothing special about him, but his eyes, his eyes were a whole other story. At that moment, she knew that he was extremely old and had seen far too much.

"I'm sorry," she said finally, not knowing what else to say. Nort looked at her, confused.

"Why? You didn't do anything."

"I know but... I'm sorry you have to feel this way?" she stammered, feeling her circuitry flare brightly, "You shouldn't have to feel unhappy about whatever you did. It's all in the past now, right?"

The sullen look returned to Nort's face. "Yes, it is." He returned his gaze back to the Sea, his shoulders sagging with what Pixie could only call defeat. Flustered with where to go with this rather confusing conversation, she stood up again, meaning to finally go get Rex.

"You should get some rest, Nort, or you'll have a difficult next few cycles," she said. Nort raised his eyebrow at her.

"What are you, my User?"

Her circuitry flared bright again as she stumbled over her words, "What I mean‒you almost‒I... Oh motherboards, I‒" She stopped as Nort chuckled softly. "What?" she demanded.

"I was just giving you a hard time. I didn't mean any harm," he said, actually smiling this time, "It's been a long time since anyone has actually cared about me."

"Oh." Pixie stared at him, finally seeing more than just a broken shell of a program with a terrible past. "Well, have a good hibernation, Nort."

"You too... I'm sorry, I don't know your name," he replied, looking a little embarrassed himself this time.

"Pixel, but everyone calls me Pixie."

He smiled again, lying back down. "Have a good hibernation, Pixie."

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><p><strong>Hope you all enjoyed! I'm really enjoying writing everyone's characters right now, it's a ton of fun. Chapter 2 will hopefully be up next Wednesday. Comments and constructive criticism are appreciated, along with any questions you may have :)<strong>

**A note on the time measurements I will be using throughout this story, when in the Tronverse:**

**picocycle=second**

**nanocycle=minute**

**microcycle=eight hours(movie canon)**

**cycle=week(deducted by the fact that Kevin Flynn was on the Grid for about 1000 cycles; this means 50 cycles a year for 20 years)**

**I'll probably add measurements for a day or 24 hours in the future, but for now these are the ones I'm using.**

**One final closing note: I've posted this on my deviant art account as well, under the name Sandeyes. So, if you see it, not to worry, it's mine.**

**Thanks for reading! :)**


	2. Secrets

**Happy Wednesday!**

**Here's chapter 2, where there are secrets, both old and painfully new... I should note that this is edited by me, as thoroughly as I can. Any missed mistakes are mine. Hope you all enjoy! :) Thank you all for the kind reviews, favs, and alerts, they're much appreciated for sure :)**

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><p><strong>TRON: Regenesis <strong>

**Chapter 2: Secrets**

Tron waited till Pixie had gone back into her home and the only sounds were that of the Sea before sitting up again. The effort cost him, and he bit back a flash of anger at his weakness. It seemed like he'd been weak for so long, not just since being dragged out of the Sea. The images of innocent programs dissolving before him, _because_ of him, danced in his mind, and he shook his head in an effort to get rid of them. The memories only got worse. Even when he closed his eyes, he could see the faces, the terror and pleading in their eyes as they silently begged to be spared. Then his discs ran them through.

"Stop," he hissed to himself, his fists balling up. As if his memory codes finally started to listen to him, the pictures from the past disappeared. Tron was alone once again.

The Sea stretched before him, a quivering mass of raw, unbridled data. He still didn't know how he'd survived, or why. It should have killed him, and he wished it had. With all that he'd done, he didn't deserve to still exist, especially when he knew that his evil counterpart was still fighting to regain dominance.

Rinzler. The name brought back the memories of the derezzed and other horrors he dared not focus on. Even now, with his circuitry glowing the palest of blue, he could still feel the old commands slithering over his coding, some times worse than others. Remembering his outburst earlier, he mentally commanded himself to keep his emotions in check, lest the remains of Rinzler try to make a full comeback. The dual disc wielding murderer would make quick work of the innocent programs behind him.

At that thought, he pulled off his disc, studying. Would it still work? He ran his finger tips down the edge, and the disc split in two. His circuitry dimmed momentarily as he felt sensation leave his body surface for a moment; these discs were a remnant of his past, his identity. A violent urge to through them into the Sea went through him, but he knew he couldn't. Without them, he was as good as dead, and if he was honest with himself, he knew he needed them, if only to remember what he must never become again. Hesitantly, he connected the discs back together and put it back in its plug.

"_You should get some rest, Nort."_

He smiled at the little red headed program's words. She was so young, so infinitely young and inexperienced. He missed that innocence, but at the moment, he knew he should follow her words. Even now, he could feel his body start to slow down again, needing a heavy recharge. Lying back, he let himself fall into a deep and dreamless hibernation.

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><p>Pixie awoke to a hand on her shoulder, but no sound; even before she opened her eyes, she knew it was Codee. He was crouched beside her, looking sorry, and handed her a memory stick. She raised her eyebrows at it, then looked around. Frowning, she faced Codee.<p>

"Where is everyone?" she asked him. His circuitry flared slightly and he pointed to the stick. Pushing back some irritation, she pressed the play button on the stick.

"Hello, Pixie," said a hologram of Rex, "You were obviously exhausted from the previous millecycles, and we decided to let you rest. We will be back in about a millecycle. Please keep an eye on Nort and notify us of anything should a problem arise. There is a long distance communicator in the bottom alcove if you need it. Take care."

Pixie clicked off with more force than necessary. They'd done it again, they'd left her behind because they didn't think she was strong enough to help out. She wasn't made to be a warrior or a spy, but she wasn't some docile program who just sat somewhere on the Grid making things look pretty! And she wouldn't ever amount to anything more than what they obviously thought she was if she wasn't allowed to go out and help. It made her circuits burn.

"How long have they been gone?" she snapped at Codee, standing up to shake off the remnants of hibernation. The silent program looked uneasy as he held up two fingers; less than half a microcycle. It made her circuits burn even more. Pulling the edges of her dress much harder than she needed, she glared around the cave in search of something to take her frustration out on. There was nothing, except... Codee. He was looking at her with a wary expression, as if he could sense what she was formulating. Shaking his head forcefully, he tried to escape her grasp but her fingers sank onto his wrist and dragged him outside.

For Codee, it may have seemed like some kind of punishment, but to Pixie it was her way of trying to be more than what she was designated for. She loved practicing with her disc, but if she was actually ever in a full blown battle she knew she wouldn't last more than a sliver of a nanocycle.

That didn't mean she couldn't try.

"Okay, give me all you've got," she called to Codee. He rolled his eyes as he reluctantly took off his disc. He studied it for a few seconds while Pixie waited, poised on the tips of her toes. "Codee, we haven't got an entire cycle‒" She barely had time to duck as Codee's disc sliced at her head, making her drop to all fours in order not to get hit. "Hey‒" The disc came back, this time aiming for her feet. Pixie suddenly felt she'd bitten off more than she could handle right now; she'd forgotten just how good Codee was at sparring. Rolling to the side, she flung her disc at him, hoping to at least put him off. Codee's eyes widened at the vicious attack, but he skipped easily out of the way and threw his back. It knocked Pixie's out of the air sending it skidding towards the edge of the cliff. They both froze, eyes following the slithering disc as it neared the precipice‒

‒And was stopped by Nort's foot. No one moved, Pixie and Codee waiting to see what the rescued program would do. What he did was pick up Pixie's disc, holding it delicately in his hands. He turned it over a few times, his expression unreadable. After a moment he walked over, handing the disc back to Pixie.

"You should be more careful," he said, "This isn't something you can replace." Pixie grasped her disc tightly, trying to not let her embarrassment show.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. Nort looked at her severely.

"It's not me you should be apologizing to. It's your disc, not mine. Why are you practicing so close to the edge anyways?" he continued, this time bringing Codee into the conversation. Codee just shrugged, but he was glaring at Nort with something ugly in his expression. "Well?"

"We‒well, I wanted to practice‒" Pixie was cowed into silence at Nort's expression. He shook his head, starting to walk out into the waste lands.

"If you actually want to practice, you should be following me, not just standing there," he called back. Pixie jumped and started running after him, Codee following half heartedly. He tugged on Pixie's arm, making her stop for a moment.

"What?" she asked, tilting her head. Codee pointed to Nort's back, wiggling his fingers. Pixie was surprised. "You don't trust him? Why?" Codee was usually someone who didn't judge other programs right off the bat; he certainly hadn't with her. He didn't move right away, but something in his eyes suddenly made Pixie uneasy about Nort. Nodding to her friend to show she knew now what he was talking about, they finally continued following Nort.

He was standing a fair distance away, watching them closely. The way his eyes were following them made Pixie think that somehow, he knew what had transpired between her and Codee. Determined not to let him see her as pathetic, she met his gaze steadily. She had to keep from smiling as she saw his surprise; he obviously hadn't expected her to be this forward after their conversation earlier. Instead he simply blinked once, turning his attention to Codee.

"So why exactly were you two practicing disc fighting? Is the war still ongoing?"

Codee could only glare furiously, so Pixie stepped in.

"He can't speak, he, uh, he... had an accident a number of cycles ago," she said, looking uneasily at her friend. He only nodded stiffly, as if daring Nort to say something about it.

Nort didn't, in fact, although he appeared sad for a moment. Then he recovered his composure and turned the question back to Pixie.

"Well?"

"Rex won't take us unless whatever we're doing isn't going to be too risky or we need everyone to pull something off. Codee's an excellent fighter but his... impediment is a risk. I'm just not a good fighter." She shrugged, trying to not to feel angry about it again; she knew she wasn't designed for any offensive things, but it still didn't make her feel better when all her friends were or had learned far faster than she had. "So I practice whenever they leave me behind."

"Which is what you were doing when I found you," Nort stated, starting to look thoughtful.

"Yeah."

He stood a little ways off, arms crossed. "Alright, let's see what you can do then." Pixie was completely taken aback, and Codee scowled something fierce; why in the name of the Users would he want to watch them? As if knowing what implications his words had, he quickly back-pedaled. "I just want to see if I can help you out in any way. I used to... I used to do a lot of competitions in the Game Arena. I know a thing or two about disc battles."

Pixie hesitantly activated her disc, facing Codee. He was still frowning, and she immediately knew he wouldn't be showing off his best moves. She would have done the same except she didn't have any. Spreading her feet apart, she crouched slightly, waiting.

Codee didn't disappoint, his disc flying from his hands and arcing towards her. It was an easy pass, and she hit it away with no problem, throwing her own at him. Codee didn't even try to get out of the way, instead just leaning over to let the disc sail within inches of his chest. He smiled at her, a wicked gleam in his eyes. And with that, Pixie knew that she was in for a hell of a time. No sooner had her disc gone past him, Codee whirled and released his again, the disc slashing a slight cut into her arm before whirling around and almost doing the same thing to her neck. He was starting to fight dirty, and she knew that she was going to lose very, very soon. Not willing to give up, she ran at him, blocking his next throw and aiming to knock him down. Pushing off hard, she sailed into the air, disc out and ready to deliver the final blow. The only problem was, Codee was no longer there. In that moment, Pixie knew she had lost.

As if to drive the point home, she felt the edge of Codee's disc press lightly against her neck. She froze, only moving to lay her disc down and consent to her loss.

"Not bad," said Nort, walking over to them. The pressure left the back of her neck as Codee stood back, allowing her to stand back up. "You, ah..."

"Codee."

"Codee, you've definitely got some skill with the disc. Your ability to predict and execute is excellent. Pixie... you have potential, but you're far too eager. I'm going to hazard a guess and say you're not programmed for anything hostile."

Pixie bit her lip in an attempt to keep from scowling. "No, I'm an image manipulation program." Right now, she hated it. She glared at Nort, daring him to say anything or laugh at her; he did neither. He nodded, his face pensive.

"Take your places again, but don't start fighting. I want to try something with you, Pixie," he said, walking over to where she had started off. Her eyes widened, not sure what to classify Nort's decision. Walking back slowly, she looked at him warily; he didn't seem like he had an ulterior motive, but then again she'd only known him for a little over a microcycle. Still, if he'd wanted to harm her and her friends, he could have done that long ago. He motioned for her to turn around and face Codee again, and she did so, trying to comprehend what Nort was planning. Whatever it was she had been expecting, it hadn't been him taking her disc hand and holding it eye level out in front of her. She whipped her head around to stare at him, but he just gestured back to where Codee was; the other program did not look happy that Nort was touching her.

"What are you doing?" she hissed.

"Showing you what to do." He brought their arms back. "Focus on the center of his chest; look nowhere else." Trying to ignore the way Nort was unnerving her, she attempted to maintain her gaze on the area just below Codee's neck. "I need you to trust me, I'm going to show what you can do."

"What‒"

Her question was cut off with a quick yelp as Nort whirled her arm in a tight circle and sent the disc searing straight to where she'd been aiming. Codee was knocked backwards as the disc hit its target, his eyes wide and mouth in a silent o of surprise. Pixie was frozen in the position of letting her disc go, her face mirroring her friend's.

"All you needed was some focus. You can do it if you set your codes to it," said Nort, breaking the reverie, "Now, sometimes you will be in situations where you won't have to time to reach a state of calm and concentration like you'd like, but it's very important that you try otherwise it will cost you your existence."

"You‒I‒I've never done that before," Pixie stammered, looking at her hand. She didn't like the feeling, and she wasn't sure if it was the fact that she'd scored a potentially deadly hit or that it was Nort who had all but made her do it. "How did you know what to do? I mean, that was a straight derezz shot, if our discs had been fully activated, I would have derezzed him." She turned around to face him just in time to see a smile slide off his face, replaced by a frown of unease.

"I thought you were wanting to learn how to fight‒"

"Being a warrior doesn't mean killing though, does it?" she persisted, now genuinely curious. In all her experience, which admittedly wasn't much, she'd never seen other programs battle each other to derezz the other. She'd heard whisperings of what horrors the past Grid had had, but nobody was willing to talk about it, and it only frustrated her further. "Does it?" she repeated. Nort's face darkened, looking away.

"It used to," he murmured. He said no more, even though Pixie could tell something else had. Opening her mouth to ask again, he turned to her, his eyes cold and hard. "I want you both to try that again," he snapped, standing back to where he had been before the demonstration. He just stood, his eyes flickering between her and Codee in a way that made her circuits stand on end. Pushing back the sensation as much as she could, she tried to focus on Codee again, her hand clenched on her disc. Codee didn't move, his gaze fixed on her.

_Focus..._

His disc was cutting toward her, aimed at the base of her neck. She ducked and rolled, her disc leaving her finger tips as she came upright again. Time seemed to slow as her eyes followed the direction of the disc, willing it to go where she hoped it would. Codee tried to move out of the way, but he wasn't quick enough; the disc hit him square in his shoulder, sending him spinning. Desperately, he tried to keep from falling, but he couldn't defy the laws of gravity and he landed hard on his behind with mix of surprise and annoyance. Pixie couldn't help but grin, standing up.

"Ye‒" she started to say, then something hard hit the back of her head, sending her face first to the ground. Head spinning from the severe jarring to her codes, she looked up in time to see Codee catching his disc, a snide grin on his face.

"Just because your opponent's disc has been thrown doesn't mean it's not dangerous. In real life‒"

"I would have been derezzed, I get it," she snapped, rubbing the spot where she'd been hit, "That _hurt,_ Codee." Her friend only shrugged, not looking very sorry. Scrambling back to her feet, she picked up her disc from where it had landed and fell back into starting position. She was getting angry now, between being a terrible fighter, getting hurt, and Nort's swinging temper, and she wanted to take it out, get rid of it before it began to fester. Codee, however, seemed to have different plans. He gestured at Nort, then himself, twirling his disc on one of his fingers. Pixie couldn't believe it.

"He wants to fight you," she said, turning to Nort. Of all the things Codee wanted to do, this? Was this just some kind of way of showing her how much she still had to work to become even okay? Even as the thoughts flickered over her coding, she knew she was being unfair with them but the past few nanocycles had done nothing to make her happy.

The look of uneasiness returned to Nort's face, and he didn't move for a picocycle. "I'm not sure that's a good idea..." Pixie had to agree, but she could see the determination on Codee's face.

"He's not going to take no for an answer,"

"Users," swore Nort, "Look, this really isn't a good idea, I had no intention of actually fighting with either of you‒"

Codee slashed his hand across his throat, the look of determination turning into sneering triumph. Nort frowned, looking to Pixie for translation. She swallowed, really not wanting to say what Codee was trying to get across.

"He, uh, he's calling you a coward," she mumbled quietly, hoping Nort didn't hear. He did.

"Is he now," he murmured, and Pixie could have sworn she heard a slight growl to his voice. She shook her head, this entire thing was stupid and unneeded; she just wanted to practice. "Please move, Pixel." Nort stood beside her, his disc whirring softly in his hand.

"You've lost your circuits, both of you," she snapped, walking a fair distance away to observe who of the two would fall first. Nort and Codee stand facing each other, Codee in his usual pre-fight stance, Nort straight as an IO beam. Codee bounced on his toes and took off running, swerving so as to avoid any attack from Nort, and flipped in the air to bring his disc down square on Nort's head.

The only problem was, Nort had moved, far faster than either Codee or Pixie had anticipated. Codee fell hard, trying desperately to correct his miscalculation and still land a hit. Nort didn't give him the chance, slamming the other program hard enough to make his circuitry flicker, and knocking away the offending disc. Nort held his own disc at Codee's throat, not even bothering to hide the fact that at any moment, he could derezz Codee.

"Never," he said, "Get overconfident. It will be the last thing you ever do." He stood up slowly, reaching out his hand to help Codee up. Pixie wasn't too surprised when Codee swatted it away, glaring every horrible event at Nort. He got back up on his own, grabbed his disc, and stalked back to the hide out. Nort shook his head, returning his disc to its plug. "You both obviously have a lot to learn. Although your friend certainly has a fair bit of skill already, just so long as he doesn't get cocky." He looked at her. "Would you like to practice some more?"

She raised her eyebrow, honestly surprised he'd even asked. "Is that some kind of joke just so you can show me how incompetent I am?" Sighing, she starting walking after Codee, brushing past Nort. "I've had enough that for one microcycle, and we shouldn't stay out here too long anyway."

"Why?"

Pixie turned, looking curiously at him. "Recognizers? I assume they had those when you were first programmed. They sometimes fly out here."

Nort's mouth turned up at the corners slightly. "Recognizers aren't too hard to avoid."

"Alright then, you calculator, how about grid bugs? Viruses? Users, I've even been told that Clu haunts this area, him and that murdering program of his, Rinzler. This area of the Grid isn't exactly safe, Nort," she said, noticing his circuitry dim at the mention of Clu. Softening her tone, she continued, "You should come back. The others will be back from the city soon anyways, and Rex will get mad if he knows we've been this far out for this long." He didn't move, staring off into space. Pixie wondered if she'd offended him in some way. "Nort? You okay?"

He blinked, bringing his eyes back to hers. "Yes, fine." Walking towards her, he tried to give her what she assumed was a reassuring smile, but it came off as a weak grimace. "I guess we should get back to your home then, if there's that many things wrong with the Grid."

"Well, yeah, but I can take them on..." she said half jokingly, trying to cheer him up. This time he actually smiled, shaking his head.

"Sure you can, deadly warrior," he replied.

"I'm trying!"

Nort patted her shoulder, turning her so they were facing each other. "I was joking, I can see you're trying," he said. Pixie didn't say anything, trying desperately to make sure her circuits didn't gave away her feelings; sometimes, she felt very young. She should have known Nort was joking, but, like always she'd taken it seriously. And it was embarrassing. "Pixie? Did you hear what I said?" Nort was staring at her expectantly, and this time her circuitry did flash brighter as her humiliation came through. He just smiled again. "I said, we can practice again later, okay?"

"Yes," she mumbled, finally breaking eye contact.

"Alright then." Nort started walking again, taking the lead. Pixie followed half heartedly, still unhappy with her handling of the situation. Nort really was just trying to help.

_And,_ she thought, _his eyes are very blue..._

* * *

><p>Living in the middle of nowhere had its advantages. On the plus side, they weren't bothered very often by the problems the city had. On the negative side, there was very little to do besides make sure everything was in its proper place, which took all of probably half a nanocycle.<p>

Pixie sat cross legged across from Codee, creating small objects for both their entertainment. At the moment, she was staring hard, putting the finishing touches on her latest creation. Codee poked the bottom of her foot, and she glared at him.

"Hold on, I'm almost done," she growled. "Ha! Haha, here we go!" She set down a light cycle, the size of her hand, almost a complete copy. Codee grinned, giving her a thumbs up. After a moment of staring at it, he pointed to the little cycle and then ran his fingers beside it. She shrugged. "I don't know, I could try." Picking it back up, she studied it for a moment, visualizing the working components of the light cycle. It grew heavier in her palm, and taking it as a sign that she'd managed to create a motor, she tried to make the components turn.

The light cycle remained still in her hand. Hissing through her teeth, she tried again, pouring all she had into it. She could feel her energy depleting, but she didn't care, she was going to get the thing to work‒

"Hey! What are you doing?" exclaimed Nort, reappearing from wherever he'd disappeared off to. Startled, Pixie dropped the cycle; it smashed into tiny bits of code. She didn't even bother being upset as a wave of weakness swept over her, making the world sway. She fell to her side, trying to stop her vision from spinning, but evidently she'd gone too far with trying to make the light cycle actually move. Someone helped her sit back up, but she couldn't tell who.

_Make it stop, make it stop, _she tried to say, but her vocalizer wasn't working. Nothing was working, the Grid was tilting in funny ways, and black stripes were appearing in front of her eyes.

"Drink this," someone ordered, and she tried to focus on the mug in front of her, but there were so many... Too many to choose from. The person who'd spoken before growled audibly, then she found her mouth forced open and something being forced down her throat.

"Glug-plbt-stop!" she protested weakly, pushing away the hand that had force fed her. Everything stopped moving, and Nort's face re-appeared in front of her. He didn't look happy.

"Do either of you think about the consequences to your actions?" he snapped, shoving the mug into her hands.

"I thought‒I thought I could do it‒"

"You're an image manipulation program, not a User!" he snarled, "You can't create something that is going to work." The words hurt like a disc wound. Pixie looked down at the ground, running her finger tips through the fragments of what had been the little light cycle. She'd never really expected the light cycle to work, but it did nothing to soften the blow of Nort's words.

"I just... I just wanted to see if it would work..." she mumbled, "I'm sorry." Nort sighed, then she felt someone touch her shoulder. She looked up, seeing sympathy take over the anger in his face.

"Just be careful. Both of you," he said, looking at Codee. Codee glared back, but even he couldn't hide the guilt. "I'll be down by the cliffs if you need me," Nort added, straightening to leave. Pixie just nodded, not feeling like saying anything at the moment. She still felt a little sick, but she mostly still mad at herself and her stupidity; she should have known that trying to make a working light cycle was a bad idea. In some way, she felt she'd disappointed Nort. Looking at him now, as he stared out at the Sea, the feeling only dug into her coding deeper.

"I'm a dysfunction, aren't I?" she said to Codee. He smiled sympathetically, taking her hand. Shrugging, he pointed to himself, then her. Pixie couldn't help but grin wanely, knowing that he was telling her it was his fault as much as hers. "You're not‒"

"Light cycles," exclaimed Nort, "I think your friends are back." Pixie stood up alongside Codee, her circuitry flashing quickly as anxiety filled her. Codee squeezed her hand, but she could see he was nervous too; would Nort tell Rex had happened. She knew if he did, both her and Codee would be in very big trouble...

"Well, we might as well see what's happened," she said.

Rex, Tera, and Sync had already deactivated their light cycles when Pixie and the others came up to see them. None of the riders looked happy.

"What's happened?" asked Pixie. Sync didn't answer, brushing past her and Codee with a rapidly deepening scowl. "Rex?" Rex didn't answer, but shook his head, casting a cold eye on Nort as he went past the other program to go with Sync to the cave. Suddenly, Pixie knew that whatever had happened today was far more pivotal than what she and the others had done. "Tera? What's going on?" she asked the female program, not bothering to hide her anxiety now.

"We all need to talk," Tera said, looking between her and Codee, "The Grid is changing."

A few nanocycles later, the five of them were sitting in a circle, Nort standing at the edge of the cave, his face disturbingly neutral. Normally, Pixie would have wondered why, but now she really couldn't care less; she'd never seen her friends look so concerned in the whole twenty eight cycles she'd been with them.

"Half the city's been taken over," began Rex, "None of the warring groups were expecting it, the entire city's in shock it seems." Pixie could only gape; the city hadn't had any form of control for over fifty cycles, just a conglomeration of various programs fighting for it. No program had been successful. At least, not until now.

"How? I mean, who?" she asked, staring at Rex.

"How, I can't compute right now; the city was fine when we left two microcycles ago. As for who... his name is Ajax." The name meant nothing to Pixie, but she didn't say anything as Rex went on. "I'd heard his name before, but I never thought much of it. I don't think anyone did."

"So what did he do?"

"He took the IO tower sector, along with the power supply. At the moment, he's got TRON city in the palm of his hand, so to speak. He's calling a surrender from the other power hungry programs, or he's effectively shutting off the city to anyone who's not loyal to him." Rex rubbed the back of his neck, looking tired. "This is going to make our lives very interesting..."

Pixie bit her lip forcefully, her temper beginning to fray at the edges. "How can he do that? I mean, what's so special about this Ajax anyways, I've never heard of him‒"

"He works for Clu."

* * *

><p>"... As for who... his name is Ajax."<p>

Tron felt his coding freeze at the name. The image of an angular face and sharp brown eyes flickered behind his eyes, accompanied by a smile that made Rinzler growl louder than usual. Ajax. The young program who had been gunning for Jarvis's job for nearly fifty cycles before Sam came on the Grid. He'd never liked him, even when he'd been under Clu's control. Right from the beginning, he'd been too cocky, too eager to participate, and tried to please Clu by any means necessary. And it had worked; Clu had let Ajax help with more and more things, until Tron had been sure he was going to promote the young upstart to Jarvis's position. It had never happened though; a few cycles later, Sam Flynn had entered the Grid, and the game changed. Tron hadn't been focussed on Ajax after that, and he'd thought Clu hadn't either.

But that was cycles ago, and who knew what had happened since then. If this Ajax was the Ajax he knew, then the Grid was in serious trouble. These programs were in danger, Users, every free program on the Grid was in danger. One thing that bothered Tron more than just the news that Ajax had taken over part of the city was where Clu was in all of this. He couldn't see the leader of the coup just step aside for some hot shot program. This entire situation was wrong on so many levels, these programs had to know‒

_But if they know who we are..._ purred that voice, and Tron felt his coding quiver uncomfortably. To tell, or not to tell? That was the question he now faced. Telling could expose who he really was, and he was quite sure that he wouldn't survive past the confession, at least if the four older programs had their way. Pixie on the other hand... If ever there was anyone who might be willing to give him a second chance, it would probably be her. Tron registered that, if these programs found out who he was, it was completely illogical that this one little program would actually defend him, but he needed something to go on.

"_You're the best security program anywhere, Tron, that's why I picked you." _Flynn's words flitted over his memory circuits, and he knew then that not telling them would let the Users down, let _Flynn_ down.

_I was meant to keep the Grid safe, no matter the cost_.

"He works for Clu," he said aloud, quickly formulating a back story that wasn't a lie, but wasn't technically the truth. Everyone's eyes fixed on him, from quiet curiosity to dangerous suspicion.

"How do you know?" asked Rex, keeping his tone neutral.

_Users help me. _"I was part of Clu's security for while, before he tried to have me killed for helping the Creator escape." There, not entirely a lie. Although, as he looked at the faces before him, it might not have made a difference.

"You worked for Clu?" asked Rex, standing up.

"Cycles ago, it was against my will‒" ‒Rex had removed his disc, and now both Sync and Tera had taken positions beside him‒ "I did what I had to do to make sure the Creator and his son escaped!"

Rex paused, but the look on his face didn't change. When he removed his disc from his back, Tron knew he had to convince them now or he was done. "You have to trust me, I know about Ajax‒"

"I don't care if you _did_ help the Creator‒"

"Stop! For the love of the Users, can't you see he's trying to help?" a voice screamed, and everyone looked back; Pixie was staring at them, her expression furious. Tron had never liked the little red head so much. "Who cares if he worked for Clu, he's not anymore, you should all be able to see that by the colour of his circuits. He doesn't support any program from that faction." She paused, panting a little and starting to look a little panicked. Suddenly, Tron was concerned about her own well being more than his.

"She's right," he agreed, "I don't, and I swear on my User and Kevin Flynn I will do everything in my power never to turn away from the Users again."

"And why should we believe you?" challenged Sync.

"Because... Because you, the Grid, you need me if you want to bring down Ajax. I wish you didn't, but it's the truth."

Rex replaced his disc to its original place, no longer looking like he was going to derezz Tron at any second. "What do you know?"

* * *

><p><strong>And we have a villain! A Grid villain... <strong>

**It was so much fun to write Tron(and still is), his character is so complex. I'm going to have a lot of fun exploring his relationship, Pixie's relationship, heck, everyone's, with the coming events. **

**NEXT: We pop up to the Real World for a visit with Sam, Quorra, and Alan. And Ed Junior... I can't wait to sink my claws into his character...**

**Hope you enjoyed! Reviews are greatly appreciated, as always. If you find anything that is jarringly horrible, let me know, please. But do it constructively(I just realized that I screwed up millecycle with microcycle, so if you find any that should be fixed, PLEASE tell me. I think I got them all...) EDIT: Turns out I didn't. At least, not on here. There were supposed to be breaks where narration switches POV, and I didn't realize that they didn't transfer over from word. I realize now that this caused some confusion(thank you to 3LW00D for pointing this out), and I've fixed them now. I'll be sure to keep an eye on this in the future, because it's a problem for you as readers and an annoyance to me that it's causing some confusion.**

**xxx warriorgrrrl**


	3. ENCOM

**Good evening all!**

**Sorry this is a bit late, I was celebrating my last day of school. Year two of uni is DONE! I'm incredibly happy, because now I can focus on more important things... Like this story! Today, it's up to the Real World with Sam, as I mentioned last week. It was interesting and a little nice to dabble with Sam, Quorra, Alan and Ed; I hope I stayed true enough to them so they're still recognizable, but no longer exact copies of what they were back in Legacy. It's been year since Legacy, remember :) **

**Again, thank you ALL for the comments and the alerts/favorites. It totally made my week while dealing with art disasters and studying. **

**Disclaimer: TRON/TRON: Legacy and established canon characters do not belong to me, they belong to Disney. All other characters are mine and belong to me.**

** Happy reading!**

* * *

><p><strong>TRON: Regenesis <strong>

**Chapter 3: ENCOM**

Sam Flynn watched his computer shut down and rubbed his eyes; a year ago, he would have laughed if someone had told him he'd be sitting here, trying to manage a global company. A year ago, though, he'd believed his father dead, and all those bedtime stories of the Grid just that, stories. But now, here he was, trying to figure out a way to market the new office program that was affordable to the public and would still keep the board members happy with enough green to line their pockets. Staring at figures that had more zeros than he imagined had left him with yet another headache throbbing behind his eye, and he'd had enough. Grabbing his coat, he made to leave his office and head back the apartment.

"Mr. Flynn," called someone. Sam gritted his teeth and turned around. Ed Dillinger, still dressing like a mop haired hipster, was standing behind him, all impatient looking. Sam wondered yet again as to why the man was still working for him. "Did you look at the figures I sent you?"

"Yes, and I'll consider them."

"Sir, pardon my intrusion, but we gotta have those figures ready to go for the meeting on Tuesday‒"

"And I'll get them done. Good night, Mr. Dillinger." Before Ed could get another word in, he left.

"Good night, Mr. Flynn!" chirped the desk receptionist. It was all he could do to muster a semi polite grunt. Pushing through the main entrance doors, he took a deep breath, and...

Was greeted by the rain. Instead of the light drizzle that usually swamped the west coast, he'd walked straight into a complete deluge, soaking him down to his skin in what seemed like no time at all. Even his bike jacket didn't help.

"Great," he grumbled, heading to his Ducati. The bike sat just off the sidewalk, gleaming in the rain and street lights. Well, at least he was already wet and therefore the seat wouldn't be THAT uncomfortable. Pulling his helmet over his sodden hair, he turned his attention to the ignition, turned the key, and pressed the start button. Instead of the comforting roar he was expecting, it coughed angrily and refused to start. _Okay, okay, this isn't bad._ Taking a deep breath, he tried again, and was met by the same coughing noise. "Oh, for Christ's‒"

The motor growled, grumbled, and finally came to life, much to his relief. He'd never heard anything so sweet, at least not for a long time. Backing out, he started the long, cold, and very wet drive home. And now that he actually had to act respectable, that meant not exceeding the speed limit by a lot. The rain showed no time of stopping, and by the time he arrived back at his apartment, he could have jumped into a swimming pool he was so wet. All he wanted was a cup of something warm, the latest motorcycle magazine, and maybe a pillow. As he parked inside, though, his pleasant thoughts evaporated.

Quorra was staring at him through narrowed eyes, arms crossed. Sam swallowed, looking around wildly for a clock; he couldn't have been that late, he'd told her that he'd be home around seven, it couldn't be later than‒

It was past ten.

_Shit._

"You're late," she said. He pushed his hair from his forehead, feeling bad.

"I know, I know, I got carried away‒"

"This is the eighth time this month, the fortieth time within the past eleven months‒"

"What, you're keeping track?"

Quorra paused, and Sam could see a muscle twitching in her jaw. "I'm just saying," she began slowly, "You've been late a lot this past year, and I'm getting worried about you‒"

"I'm fine," he snapped, his temper starting to fray.

"‒And us." She paused, and very suddenly Sam was reminded of the formidable warrior he'd met a year ago. "Do you remember what day it is?"

"Saturday. December seven..." His middle grew cold as he remembered. Their anniversary. December seventeenth. "Shit, shit, Quorra I'm so sorry‒" She shook her head, uncrossing her arms and walking over to him. Giving his wet clothes a distasteful look, she hesitantly touched him. She looked at him with those big blue eyes of hers, and he knew she was going to say something rather important.

"I know you're busy, running ENCOM and so forth," she said. He made to reply, but she put a finger to his lips. "But don't forget that there's more to life than just work. You need to slow down. Your father had the Grid, you have... You have your bike, Marvin..."

"You," he remarked, smiling this time and giving her finger a quick kiss. She giggled, pulling her hands away.

"Yes, me, and you always will." Her smile faded though, and the serious look returned to her face. "Just don't forget about this." Sam leaned his forehead against hers.

"I won't." For a moment, he thought things might have progressed from there, but it all ended abruptly as Marvin barked, demanding attention be refocused on him. Sam bent down, petting the dog's head. "You have got the worst timing ever. Okay..." He looked back up at Quorra. "I'll take you out tomorrow, okay? I'll make up for this‒"

"Sam, just don't be late," she said, patting his head, "I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too long." She disappeared into their bedroom, shutting the door. The apartment fell into silence, save for Marvin's slight whine. "Ok, buddy, let's see if we can finish this before the sun comes up." Giving Marvin one last pat on the head, he walked over to his work computer, firing it up. The ENCOM OS logo came up, and then the simple black home screen with blue ribbons up the right side. It was all very neat, clean, and unoriginal. Sam hated it, but this was a work computer, not his home computer. He didn't need it to be full of the nearest devices for hacking and programming. Opening his email, he downloaded the files he'd been working on and continued.

* * *

><p>"<em>It's incredible."<em>

"_I woulda given it all up to spend one more day with you, Sam." Sam looked at his father, a little surprised the revelation; Kevin Flynn had devoted much of his life's work to this place. _

"_But, Dad__‒__"_

_Kevin held up his hand. "I mean it, Sam. This place? Yeah, it's cool and whatever, but it's not you." He gripped Sam by the shoulders, shaking him slightly. "You, you and Quorra, you're gonna make this place what it can be. You're gonna bring it out of the dark ages man, bring it into the 21__st__ century!"_

_Sam gaped at his father for a moment; this hadn't happened. "What? Dad, what are you__‒__"_

_Kevin just grinned, poking him in the chest. "Believe me, man, you can fix this."_

"_Dad, stop that, that hurts__‒__" With a laugh that sounded mocking now, Kevin poked him again, harder and harder__‒_

Sam woke up with a start, the center of his rib cage still hurting like he'd been burned. Hissing at the pain, he tore off his shirt, wondering if he'd been bitten by something. What he saw made his eyes widen with confusion.

The chip he wore around his neck, the chip that held the Grid, was lit up like a Christmas tree, throbbing and hot to the touch. He stared at it for a moment before another burst of pain shot from the spot where it rested and he tore it off.

"What...?" The chip continued glowing and Sam poked it tentatively. Still burning hot. He honestly had no idea what had caused it, or what to do. Thinking the chip flipping out was connected to his very, very odd dream was a little too much for him to handle at this time of night. Rubbing his face, he stumbled up from the computer, trying to push both thoughts out of his head, and went to his bedroom.

Quorra was fast asleep, her arms wrapped around the sheets, head half buried into the pillow. Sam couldn't help but smile, climbing in beside her. When he wrapped his arms around her waist, she just murmured, settling the curves of her body into his. He smiled, closing his eyes as he settled his nose into the crook of her neck, and fell asleep.

On the desk, the chip still glowed.

* * *

><p>Sunday started late and lazy, with neither Quorra nor Sam leaving bed until almost one. And even that was because Marvin was vocalizing his demand for breakfast. They fed Marvin, got dressed enough to go outside, and went for a walk. They cleaned house. They took Marvin out. Sam phoned in a reservation, Quorra got ready, and at seven o'clock, they made their way to Chateau Rouge.<p>

The look on the valet's face when they pulled up on the Ducati was hilarious, but his expression when Sam revealed himself was even better. He was still adjusting to more and more of the general public recognizing him, but it still offered a good laugh every once in a while. Handing the keys to the valet, they made their way indoors, away from the cold and wet.

"Table for two, name's Flynn," he said to the host.

"You're right on time, Mr. Flynn, you're table is this way," said the man, leading them to a secluded corner. Sam nodded at the host, and then he and Quorra were left to their own devices. They sat down, their faces illuminated by candle light.

"I wasn't expecting this," said Quorra finally, playing with the tines of her fork.

"You don't like it?"

She shook her head, taking his hand. "No, it's lovely, it's just... very expensive."

Sam laughed, a little relieved. "Quorra, believe me, this isn't expensive, not for us anymore. Besides, we don't do this very often, and I don't plan on making it a habit. I like macaroni and cheese nights with you just as much. Although," he grinned wickedly, "The light here really illuminates that cute nose of yours." Quorra blushed, trying to hide a smile.

"Is this just to get back in my record sheet?"

Sam had to fight back laughter and a red face; she could still be so literal at times. "It's your good books, and maybe. But I think food should be in order first. Shall we order?" She nodded, still smiling.

Dinner was a lovely affair, and the wine flowed liberally between the both of them. By the time dessert was ordered, both were giggling gratuitously and flirting so openly the staff were getting uncomfortable. Quorra licked her lips, swiping the last bit of chocolate mousse off and sitting back with a very satisfied grin.

"This, Sam Flynn, has been a truly wonderful evening," she said.

He flashed her yet another wicked grin, swirling the remnants of his wine in his glass. "Evening's young, Quorra girl, this isn't even the best part." She leant over the table, her eyes glowing.

"Really?"

He leant forward as well, their foreheads almost touching. "Really." He went in to give her a kiss‒

‒And his phone went off. Quorra stared at him incredulously while he dug out the cell, contemplating murdering whoever was call him. When he saw the caller ID, he started planning where to dump the body.

"What?" he snapped.

"Oh, have I called at a bad time?" asked Ed. Sam pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to keep from swearing at the other man.

"Yes, actually, you have. Is this an emergency?"

"Well no‒" Sam felt his face turn purple and he opened his mouth to fire the idiot. "‒but the board members are wondering if you have any intention of showing up for the meeting."

For a moment, Sam was sure the world had stopped, or that he was going to wake up. This was the only way that anything could make sense at this very moment. The meeting was Tuesday, not Sunday night. "The meeting's not till Tuesday, Mr. Dillinger‒"

"For marketing, yes. The OS 13 meeting is tonight. Am I right in assuming you want to be here?"

"Don't get pretty with me, Dillinger," he snarled, "When does this meeting start?"

"Fifteen minutes." Sam cast a glance at Quorra; her face was slowly beginning to fall.

"Alright, I'll be there," he said finally, ending the call. Downing a cup of water, he grimaced, rubbing his face. Quorra studied him. "Apparently," he began, "The board members want to have a meeting." She nodded, her hands in front of her. "And it seems they need me there."

"You are in charge of the company. Therefore, they would need you," she said. Her tone was polite, friendly, and completely understanding. Sam felt like stabbing himself with a fork.

"Quorra, I'm so sorry‒"

"Go, Sam. You're going to be late."

He stood up, still hesitant. "I'll be back as soon as I can. I'll call a cab for you to take you home, and‒and I'm really sorry." She just nodded. Trying to push the guilt away, he made his way outside, where the valet was waiting.

"Where's your lady friend?" asked the man. Sam ignored him, not in the mood to indulge, grabbed his keys and found his bike. Some thought niggled in his head as he started it, that maybe he shouldn't be driving after all the wine, but he felt surprisingly clear headed. And besides that, he wanted to show Dillinger that he could run the damn company just fine. And maybe he'd give him a little reminder as to who was in charge of ENCOM to begin with...

ENCOM tower materialized none too soon. Parking his bike, Sam made his way indoors, brushing past any and all who were in his way. For the time, and the day, there were several people around, besides the security and cleaning staff. He half smiled; ever since he'd pulled that stunt over a year ago, security had been tightened considerably. Not that they had to worry about him swan diving off the top of the building anymore. Well, not unless he wanted to just for the heck of it.

"Sorry to keep everyone," he said as he entered the conference room, taking his seat at the head of the table, next to Alan. The older man flashed him a sympathetic smile, obviously feeling sorry for Sam. He returned the smile as furtively as possible, then focussed his attention on the other board members. With the exception of Ed, all were new within the past year. So far, things had been bumping along fairly smoothly, despite him taking over ENCOM and the company doing an almost complete 180. At the very least, he got along with most everyone. "I was celebrating my anniversary." Best let them know what exactly this meeting was screwing up.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Flynn, but we weren't aware. If you would have let us know, we would have rescheduled," said the man sitting to the right of Ed.

_Damn, should have thought of that. _ Why did he have to keep reminding himself that the majority of these people actually liked him? "I know, and I should have let you all know. As it is, let's get this down before the clock strike's twelve," he said aloud, meeting the eyes of all those sitting around the table. "I've been crunching numbers on what we need to get back, and what I'd like to see. I want to know though, is it even worth putting OS thirteen out if all we're doing is slapping a thirteen on the box?" Ed shifted in his seat while Alan chuckled quietly. Everyone else opened portfolios, passed papers around, and started discussing what their plans were for OS thirteen.

Sam sat and listened, or at least he tried. He knew what they were saying was important, he knew he should be paying attention, but his mind kept drifting to Quorra, home, and pillows. Oh, those pillows... He stifled a yawn, glancing at his watch; they'd been here for almost two hours.

"... We've had a number of complaints about glitches in the virus program, so we've had the staff take a look at it and come up with some solutions." The man next to Ed pushed over a tablet. Sam scanned it, noting the changes that had been made with little interest.

"Have these changes been tested already?" he asked. Ed shifted in his seat, straightening.

"Initial tests are promising‒"

"I want all tests to be promising. If security is lax, that means a hell of a lot more..." Sam paused. The chip was starting to feel abnormally warm again against his skin. "A, uh, a hell of a lot more problems for the consumer. There's a lot more on the line than just our reputation..." The warmth of the chip was becoming uncomfortable now.

"Mr. Flynn, are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Sam snapped, silently begging the chip to stop acting like a burning ember, "Back to the matter at hand, we have to realize that any future problems with virus security is only going to affect our reputation, but the people will lose a lot more than that‒" He broke off, the pain finally getting the better of him.

"Mr. Flynn?"

"I'm sorry, excuse me," he hissed, standing up and trying to walk as slowly as possible to keep from raising suspicions even more. As soon as he was out of the board room though, he ran to the nearest bathroom, pulling at the chain the chip was hanging on in an effort to try and get it off. It was burning worse than the night before, and as he burst into the bathroom, he finally managed to hook his fingers around it and toss it into the nearest sink.

"Son of a bitch," he swore under his breath, panting heavily. The chip throbbed in the sink, seeming to taunt him. Keeping a wary eye on the piece of offending technology, Sam turned on another sink, splashing cold water over his face in an effort to clear his head. This was the second time the chip had heated up, and he had no explanation. Logically, the tiny thing shouldn't be doing it period, and yet there it was, glowing warm beside him. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he said to the thing. It remained silent, as he expected. Sighing heavily, he leant over the sink, wondering where to go from here.

"Sam?"

He spun around, only to see Alan. The older man was looking at him with concern, approaching tentatively. Sam let out a burst of laughter, his tension falling away a little.

"Thought you mighta been someone else," he said, leaning back against the counter. Alan smiled at that, moving to stand in front of the younger man.

"That could have been a problem." Both men fell silent, Alan studying Sam and Sam studying the floor. "What's going on?"

"Nothing I can't handle," Sam said, but his tone said otherwise. Alan raised an eyebrow.

"Judging by the way you rushed out of the room, I can see that. Seriously, Sam, is everything okay?"

Sam finally met the eyes of the man who had been his foster father. For a moment, he considered telling Alan everything, the dream, the chip, his frustrations with the company, everything.

"Yeah, everything is. Don't worry Alan, I'll let you know if anything comes up. Now, I'm gonna get home, I think I got this meeting down pat. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Wait, Sam"

"G'night Alan." Grabbing the chip from its place in the sink, he brushed past Alan and out the door. Once he was in the hallway, he ran to the nearest exit, not wanting to talk to anyone. When he burst out the first exit door he could find, it was raining again. This time though, he didn't care. In fact, he welcomed it. For a moment he just stood there, imagining that everything that had gone wrong this day, this year, his entire life, was washing away. It was only when he got cold that he made his way to where the Ducati was parked. He paused as he remembered that his helmet was still in the building, then started the bike anyway; he didn't want to even look at ENCOM Tower until tomorrow morning. As he made off down the road, the rain lessened and streaks of light slid brightly all around him; for a moment, Sam found himself thinking he was back on the Grid. The glowing reflections flowed like the beams of light left by the cycles, or the suits for that matter. A wave of nostalgia washed over Sam, surprising him. When it came the intersection that would take him home, he paused for a moment.

"_You're gonna make it better than ever."_

Several minutes later, Sam slowed to a stop, balancing his bike on the crumbling road. In front of him, Flynn's Arcade stood, dripping from the rain.

* * *

><p><strong>Dun dun dun...<strong>

**Did you really think I was going to keep the Grid and Real World separate? Absolutely not. Character growth and interactions... there's going to be a lot of evolution for everyone in the chapters to come. Some of Sam's problems and character development I based loosely off of what happened to Kevin when he was trying to balance working on the Grid, ENCOM, Sam, and everything else. Sam has a lot to deal with, and although in theory it's less than what Kevin had, but look at today's world: has it slowed down? Not one bit... I feel sorry for Sam.**

**So, my plan, until the Grid and Real World merge together, is every third chapter will be from Sam's point of view. Next chapter, we're back to the Grid with Pixie, Nort, and the rest of the gang :)**

**One last question... anyone got any theories on the chip? I know... I'd love to hear your theories about it :) Hope you enjoyed! **

**xxx warriorgrrrl**


	4. Team

**An early morning to you all! :) Chapter 4 coming at you, hot off the press(almost literally, I JUST finished). I was really happy with how the beginning/middle came out, but the last part was so hard. I was fighting writer's block all the way with it, and although I think it's okay, it's not fantastic. However, I'll let you be the judges.**

**Thanks again for the lovely comments and all the favs/alerts. I still have to reply to a few comments, but I just want to thank you guys again. The reception has been wonderful :)**

**And now, without further ado, here's chapter 4! Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>TRON: Regenesis<strong>

**Chapter 4: Team**

"You can't be serious!"

"You can't deny he's got information we desperately need to keep safe, if not more‒"

"He worked for _Clu_, I don't care how valuable his information is..."

Pixie put her hands over her ears, finally getting fed up with the constant arguing. Ever since Nort had given them the information on Ajax, Rex and Sync had been at each other's throats over what their next move should be. Tera stood off to the side, observing, but Pixie knew that if things escalated the older program would be at Rex's side in no time. However, and if there was anything to really set Pixie's circuits alight, it was that Codee was stubbornly taking the side of Sync. Her friend's animosity to Nort was really beginning to bother her.

"I'm going outside," she said to no one in particular. Tera nodded to her, her expression sympathetic, then turned her attention back to the arguing programs. Rolling her eyes one last time, she stood up and walked as quickly as possible away from the atmosphere. A trip down to the Sea, perhaps. At least there she'd have better company. As if to prove that point, Nort's outline became visible. She slowed her walk, studying him from afar; he wasn't moving, he just stared straight ahead, at what all she could see was nothing.

"You mind some company?" she asked tentatively. He turned around, looking a little surprised at the interruption. His expression relaxed somewhat when he saw it was her, and he moved over to let her sit down.

"What brings you down here?"

Pixie scowled, looking over her shoulder. "Rex and Sync are fighting over the stuff you told them."

Nort raised his eyebrows, looking faintly amused. "Oh?"

"Yeah, I mean, so what if you worked for Clu, you're not now, and that information is probably really important for us to stay alive‒"

"How do you know I didn't lie?"

Pixie stared at him, trying to figure his angle. Did he want to irritate her even more? "Well, if you were smart, you wouldn't, because there are four very capable programs here who could derezz you in no time flat. So if you are lying, I suggest you get out of here as quickly as possible." Nort held up his hand, silencing her.

"I was making a joke, Pixie, there is no need to get upset."

"A joke?" What was a joke? If this thing that Nort had just done was a joke, then there was nothing funny about it.

He laughed again, although this time his expression was nostalgic. "I keep forgetting how little you younger programs have really experienced. A joke is something the Users tell each other for enjoyment."

"The Users?" Nort nodded. Pixie scooted closer, her eyes alight. "Can you tell me about them? Or‒or the Grid?" Maybe she could actually find out something about her home. Users knew the others wouldn't tell her. "Please?" He looked at her for a moment.

"Why do you want to know?" he asked carefully.

She sighed, swinging her left leg over the edge of the cliff. "Nobody else will tell me. And I'm sick of not knowing." Turning her head, she saw that he was studying her, his expression neutral.

"You're so young," he said. Pixie opened her mouth to protest, but he continued. "But you cannot acquire wisdom unless you know what you're fighting for." The sentence confused her, but she didn't say anything. Nort leant forward, looking down at the shoreline.

"The Users are the ones who create us, they give us purpose. To many programs, they seem perfect... But they're not. They're just as flawed and capable as failure as we are." A note bitterness entered his voice. "It was ill foresight that brought the Grid to what it was and is to this cycle." Pixie stared in disbelief.

"Kevin Flynn did this to us?"

Nort lowered his head. "Not on purpose. He loves this place, he would never have done what he did if knew the outcome. I... I would never have done what I did if he'd known."

"What did you do?" Pixie asked, her curiosity getting the best of her. Nort turned to her sharply, his circuits glittering.

"That is none of your concern."

"It must be, if you brought it up‒"

"It isn't‒"

"But what happened‒"

"Pixie, that's enough‒"

"I promise I won't tell‒"

"Pixel!" he snapped. She jumped. "My-past-is not up for discussion, and I would appreciate if you don't bring it up again."

"But‒" she started to say, but stopped at Nort's expression. "Okay, fine. I won't."

"Thank you." He visibly relaxed. "Flynn never foresaw what Clu would become, I didn't either... Not for a while. But after several cycles, even Flynn began to discover that something was wrong with his creation. He thought he could fix Clu's problems, make him see that what was happening was supposed to happen, but..." Nort shook his head. "It couldn't be done. And by the time Flynn figured it out, the coup had already started, and there was nothing he could do to stop it."

"The Betrayal," Pixie burst in, eager to help out. Nort looked at her.

"Yes. The Betrayal. Aptly named indeed. After‒after that, the Grid became a place of fear and death. You were either with Clu or against him, and if you against him you didn't last long. He would either repurpose you or send you to the games. Neither was ideal, but at least at the games you were guaranteed an end somewhat at your hand. All who entered the games died eventually, either by their opponent's disc or by..."

"Rinzler..." Nort shuddered at her whisper, something akin to fear crossing his face.

"Yes... Rinzler... He was Clu's weapon, completely under his control, but he enjoyed the games as much as any sadistic program would. They brought the Grid to its knees, they almost destroyed it. They murdered the ISOs." He looked at Pixie. "They were Flynn's miracle, you know. Programs with no User, something the Grid had never seen, that he'd never seen. He must have been devastated when Clu brought on the Purge. Clu killed them all."

Pixie opened her mouth to tell him he was wrong, that Quorra had escaped, but the look on Nort's face stopped her. She had seen her fair share of grief and regret, despite her young age, but all that seemed pale compared to Nort. The raw despair and anguish made her codes crackle, and she knew that whatever direction they were going in was only going to amplify it. Despite her curiosity to know more about Clu's reign of terror, she couldn't bring herself to put Nort through reliving it just so she could find out. She touched his hand, drawing his attention back to her and away from the past.

"Why don't," she said, "You tell me about the Grid before all that stuff." It took a couple picocycles, but he finally answered, his face losing the drawn look.

"Yes. Yes, I can tell you about that." He settled into a more comfortable position, staring once more into the distance of the Sea. "Flynn created this cycles ago, not long after he discovered our world. The Grid was a place for him to create the perfect place, where he said he wouldn't have to worry about the problems of his life on the other side." He paused, chuckling. "He was quite wrong, of course, the Grid brought its own problems. He hadn't expected the bugs, or ISOs, or the problems that regular programs got themselves into. That's why he made Clu, in hopes of having a copy of himself here, permanently, to keep things under control. He had others too, but Clu was his pride and joy. And, for a while, the Grid was a peaceful, wonderful place. We had games, nothing like what there is now; you didn't get derezzed for losing. Flynn liked to converse with the other programs, and they all revered him. In fact, until the ISOs appeared, the Grid was a stable and peaceful place."

Pixie furrowed her brow, suddenly confused. "I thought Flynn thought the ISOs were a miracle. You're making it sound like they caused the Betrayal‒"

"No, no," Nort held up his hands. "What you have to understand is that the ISOs were something Flynn never expected, and even though he was fascinated by them, they brought their own problems. Of course," he added, "How much of the problems were caused by the ISOs and how much were caused by Clu is still a mystery, even to me."

"Oh." They both fell silent, looking out over the waves. "Did you know Flynn?"

Nort smiled. "I did. He was a great man, only second to my user." That was what Tera and Rex had told her whenever they actually talked about those cycles long ago. Flynn's legacy still lived on for them.

"He related to us more than Clu ever did." Pixie jumped, and both she and Nort turned around to see Tera standing behind them, two cups of Energy in her hands. She smiled, apologetic, and handed them the cups. "Sorry to interrupt, I wasn't trying to eavesdrop."

"Not a problem," said Nort, taking a sip. "Thank you." Tera shrugged, looking at the sea herself.

"Rex would like to speak with you again. He wants to go back to the city sometime soon, and he'd like some more info on Ajax. Also, he wants to know if you can help those of us who need it‒" She looked pointedly at Pixie. "‒with our fighting skills. Codee made a comment about what happened today."

"Oh? I should probably apologize to him, I might have been unnecessarily rough..."

Pixie zoned out, mulling over the tale that Nort had told her. In all honesty, she was quite certain that what he'd told her wasn't even half the story, and that telling the entire thing would probably take cycles. Still... she'd probably have to be patient if she wanted to hear more. Give Nort some time to recover from his time in the Sea, let him open up more, so on and so forth. She pushed away the ping of guilt; she didn't want to and wouldn't push Nort to open up, but if the Grid was once more in the hands of tyrant, then she deserved to know as much as anyone else. Maybe there was something that he knew that could help her figure out why Codee so disliked him. But more importantly...

_After all he's been through, he probably needs a friend more than anything else,_ she mused as she glanced at Nort; he needed someone he could trust, and Pixie was pretty certain none of her friends would, or at least not for a while. Even if he had known the Creator‒ Pixie sat up, her processers whirling. Tera had talked like she'd met the Creator. Surely she hadn't though, had she?

"Tera?" she spoke up, looking at her friend. "Did you meet the Creator?" Both Tera and Nort paused their conversation. An expression of wistful longing played with Tera's features before she answered.

"I did. Once." She nudged a piece of broken Grid with her toe. "Rex and I were walking a back alley when we stumbled upon Flynn. We helped him escape the city." Pixie stared at her, mouth hanging open; she'd known Tera pretty much all her life and had never expected that revelation. And now it really was a miracle that Tera and Rex had survived as long as they had.

"How did you manage that? The Black Guard was relentless in trying to find Flynn, and then destroying those who helped him," said Nort. Tera shrugged.

"Rex is a better security program than any of you give him credit for. He kept us safe." Pushing a strand of hair from her face, she looked down at Pixie. "Rex has you on the last watch tonight, so I suggest you wrap up whatever you're discussing very soon and get some hibernation. You should too, Nort." Nodding to both of them, she turned and left, returning to where the sound of angry voices were starting to get audible again.

"Has she always been like this?" asked Nort when she was out of ear shot. Pixie nodded, standing up as well.

"It's nice, but sometimes... it gets a little stifling." She shuffled her feet, meeting Nort's eyes hesitantly. "I suppose I'll see you in a couple nanocycles, then."

"Yes you will." Giving her one last smile, Nort turned back around to face the Sea again. Pixie chewed her lip, walking away. She certainly had some things to think about now.

"Had fun?" snapped Sync as she came up. It looked like he'd lost the argument with Rex and wasn't happy as a result. Pixie ignored him, instead taking her matt from its resting place. Dealing with a pissed off Sync was something she didn't like to do on a regular basis, and now she really didn't care. It had been a long day full of high emotion and history lessons, and despite her lack of exhaustion now, she knew she needed the rest. As she sat down, Rex clapped her on the shoulder.

"You had a good talk with Nort?"

"Yeah..."

"He seems to be adapting well enough. Who knows, maybe he will be a useful asset to us."

Pixie decided not to tell Rex about Nort's past with the Grid, or his outbursts from earlier in the millecycle. It probably wouldn't help Nort's case now.

"I think he will be," she said finally, lying down. Rex nodded, wishing her a good hibernation as he strode off to find someone; Pixie was pretty sure it would be Nort. As she let her system slow and her eyes close, her thoughts drifted back to still puzzling program.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Pixel, get up," growled a voice. Trying to boot her system up, Pixie opened her eyes to see Sync crouching beside her, his scowl still etched firmly in place.<p>

"Already?" she mumbled, rubbing the black lines from her eyes. He huffed, settling down on his matt.

"Yeah, already. And go take care of your boyfriend, he's been mumbling for nanocycles now. It's getting annoying." Not leaving her time to answer, he collapsed on his matt and started snoring. Pixie pushed back the prickle of irritation, stretching to work out the stiff coding and get her system back up to snuff.

"He's not my boyfriend," she grumbled to Sync's now silent form. _I just talk to him because he's friendly, which is more than you can say._ And he was willing to tell her about the Grid, but there was no way she was saying that aloud; even thinking about it made her feel a little uneasy. If the others would just tell her, she wouldn't have to sneak around to get her information.

_They won't tell, I'll find out anyways,_ she computed sarcastically, stepping into the full view of the sky. However, it wasn't the shifting cloud patterns that caught her attention. Once out of the shelter of the cave, she could hear a vague mumbling coming from the direction Nort was hibernating. Remembering what he'd been like previously, she swallowed nervously, preparing herself for what she might have to do. She approached slowly, silently hoping that he'd wake up before she got to him. When she saw him, she knew that wish was going to stay a wish as her circuits froze and she toyed with running back to get Rex.

Nort was still on his matt, eyes closed, but like the night before, he was twitching and mumbling in his hibernation. What scared her though was the fact that his circuits were a deep orange.

"I... I don't want to..." he growled, "I don't‒I fight‒" His circuits started to flicker. Pixie crouched beside him, shaking his shoulder roughly.

"Nort, wake up, please wake up," she hissed. He gentled under her touch, but his eyes didn't open.

"No. I fight‒" He started to shake harder again, and his circuits flickered. "I fight for the Users."

"What?" said Pixie to herself, "Nort‒" He had fallen silent, seeming to drift back into a peaceful hibernation. She looked at him, puzzled; he'd said it when they'd found him, and now again. Obviously the Users held some significance to him. Shaking her head, she was about to leave when she notice him shuddering once again, much more violently than before. She tried to reach for him, to calm him down again, but it was too late.

"FLYNN!" he screamed, sitting bolt upright. "Flynn." He looked around wildly, first at himself and then at his surroundings. "No..."

Pixie didn't move, not knowing what he would do. When he didn't move again, she touched the tips of his fingers, hoping she'd be quick enough if he flipped again. "Um, Nort‒?"

He grabbed her wrist, quick as lightning. Terrified, she tried to pull away, but he held fast, staring deep into her eyes.

"Did they make it?" he spit out, "Did Flynn make it?" Pixie just stared at him, unable to form the words. "Pixie, answer me! I need to know."

She worked her mouth, finally getting her vocalizer to respond. "Sam and Quorra made it... Flynn reintegrated with Clu. He sacrificed... Nort?" He'd let go of her, horrified. For a moment, Pixie thought he was going to short circuit.

"No..."

"Nort, what's wrong?"

"I failed," he whispered, but Pixie wasn't entirely sure if he was replying to her question or talking to himself. "I failed, I failed, Alan-1 forgive me..."

"Nort‒"

"I should have tried harder, I could have stopped‒could have stopped‒Oh Flynn."

"Nort!"

"I failed you, I failed the Grid‒"

Pixie couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed the sides of Nort's face, making him look her in the eye. "Nort, you haven't failed. Flynn saved us. He destroyed Clu, he gave Sam and Quorra time to escape, he‒he liberated us." They both fell silent, but Pixie didn't let go; partly because she was afraid of what Nort would do if she let go, and partly to keep herself grounded. Slowly, she saw the terrifying light in his eyes die away, and he blinked, seeming to regain his foothold on reality. "You never failed," she repeated, despite not knowing what in motherboards he was talking about, "You helped him succeed." And as if her last words broke the spell, he pulled away, looking much calmer but also infinitely sad. Pixie let her hands drop; she was trembling.

"Sam and Quorra escaped?" said Nort finally. She nodded, standing up. He tilted his head. "Are you leaving?"

"I have the watch for the next two and a half microcycles. I‒I only came to see you because Sync mentioned you were talking in your hibernation." She saw the flash of fear in his eyes despite the neutral expression he kept. "I don't think he heard anything you were saying," she added quickly, even though she had no idea if Sync had heard Nort's ramblings or not. He hadn't said anything, but Sync wasn't always the type of program to divulge information right away. Still, she doubted he'd keep quiet about anything that he would have heard coming from Nort.

The relief was plain on Nort's face as he dropped his gaze down to his hands again. Pixie was dying to know what he'd meant when he talked about failing, but asking now would be extremely rude. And the whole thing still scared her. She'd thought that she had an idea of how bad Nort's past was, but every incident just got worse. Trying to push the thoughts from her memory banks, she started down to the look out.

"Pixie, wait." She stopped at Nort's voice, turning around. He was walking towards her, looking apprehensive. "I‒may I stay with you. I'm not sure if hibernation is the best idea right now." As she met those blue eyes of his, the fear in them was still very real. She knew she couldn't say no, even if she had wanted to.

"Sure. I'd like the company," she said. Nort smiled, falling into step beside her.

"Do you do this every, uh, resting period?" he asked

Pixie nodded, climbing up to sit on the outcrop. Nort scrambled up beside her, still looking curious. Knowing she probably owed him for the information pumping she'd done to him earlier, she answered. "They've done it as along as they've lived out here, about twenty cycles before I joined them. It's safer than the city in many respects, we don't have guards prowling at every corner, but we still get the odd Recognizer. And grid bugs are always a worry. This close to the Sea, all kinds of stuff can happen. And everyone always whispers about Clu's ghost hanging out here." She rolled her eyes, kicking out her feet. "I think they're just short circuiting to compute that."

"You didn't know Clu..." said Nort, "Even if he's gone, his shadow still remains. I don't mean literally," he added upon seeing her open her mouth to argue, "But his actions inspired more than one program. It would be a miracle if we were to lose every hint of Clu's existence. Ever." Pixie didn't answer, sinking into a brooding silence. She still didn't get why Clu's influence was as bad as everyone was making it out to be. She personally brought it down to two things: no one would really tell her what happened, and she hadn't been around when he'd been in power. The latter she couldn't help, but the former was something that could be fixed. "I can tell that's not the answer you were looking for," said Nort, startling her.

"Well, no... I don't know, I'm just tired of not knowing. Everybody tells me Clu was terrible, but they won't tell me _why._ Programs are still getting derezzed in the games, the streets in the city still aren't safe, and everyone's fighting for control. Well, not so much now, seeing as your friend Ajax has half the city." She scowled down at her boots. "How was Clu worse than that?" Nort didn't answer , and as the silence grew, Pixie wondered if she'd offended him in some way. She looked up, ready to apologize, but found he was staring off into space.

"I think... that to truly understand that this, now, is better, you had to be there. You weren't, if your claims are anything to go by, but I was." He looked her straight in the eye. "I'll tell you, some cycle in the future, but not now. For me... it is still too close." She knew the topic was closed. A tiny part of her was disappointed, but another part also realized that making him go over in detail what happened could have similar results to his dream.

"And now you don't look displeased. Why the change?" A smile played at Nort's lips, making him seem younger. It suited his face much better, she noticed for the first time.

"I was just... I don't know. After I saw you when you were hibernating, it made me kind of realize that maybe I shouldn't push you for information." The smile faded.

"I frightened you, didn't I?"

She nodded, not bothering to hide it. "It was pretty freaky. I've‒I've never seen a program's circuits that colour before." He dipped his head, running his hands over the edges of the outcrop.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. She took his hand, making him pause and look up.

"Look, it's okay. You're obviously not a bad program. You've changed from, well, from whatever you were." He smiled again, and this time it made her circuits flush and her middle squirm. "Just be glad it was me who found you, not the others. They still don't trust you, you know."

"Oh, I know. But you seem to."

"Yeah, you haven't given me any reason not to."

Nort pulled away from her grasp, an eyebrow raised. "But, back there, you saw‒"

"Something that's not you. Users, why are you all so concerned with the past? It's done and gone, let it go," she said, letting some of her irritation colour her words. Nort laughed, but it was a brittle sound.

"'Those who do not pay attention to the past are doomed to repeat it.'"

"What?"

"It's a User proverb Flynn told me once. The past is important."

"I know, but‒"

He held up his hand. "Why don't you tell me about yours? You've heard some of mine, some of the Grid's, and yet I know next to nothing about you."

She gaped at him for a moment, completely taken aback by the question. "I‒well, alright." Still looking at him oddly, she opened her mouth to start the story.

"I'm thirty cycles as of the last full cycle. My first memories are of the streets of the city. I think that's where I first came into the existence, and for two cycles that's where I lived. I tried to fit in at first, but that just drew the attention of others who... didn't have the best intentions." She shuddered as she remembered those helmeted programs chasing her through the alleyways. "I actually didn't really know my designation until then. I'd just snitched a container of Energy from a loading ship, and well, I got caught. They sent these security programs after me... Honestly, I've never been so scared in my entire existence. They just wouldn't give up. I was about to get cornered in this alley when, I guess out of desperation, I threw up my arms. Next thing I know, there's this wall in front of me and my pursuers are confused as can be. They left, or at least they must have, because I didn't leave that place until microcycles later." She paused, collecting her nerves back up; her hands were shaking. She hadn't expected retelling that experience to actually bring the fear back, but it had.

Something brushed her finger tips and she jerked her head back up. Nort was leaning over, sympathy bright in his eyes. "You don't have to continue if you don't want," he murmured. His words made her circuits flare brightly again and she pulled away, determined to finish her story. Compared to everyone else, what happened to her was nothing.

"I'm fine. That was the worst that happened to me." She leaned back on her hands, looking up at the sky. "After that, I spent the next two cycles crafting hiding places, coming out when I knew the security programs weren't around. It wasn't too hard, I figured out their rotations after a bit. I guess... I guess it was around that time that I was resigning myself to the streets, maybe pulling off the odd image trick so I could get some free energy, when I met‒I met them." She smiled shyly, looking over at where her friends were hibernating. Nort shared her smile, obviously sensing her subdued happiness.

"They took you in," he said.

"Yeah. Codee found me. I was running down a back alley with some Energy bottles when I crashed into him. At first, I wasn't sure what he was going to do. I mean, this tall, mute program with his disc at the ready, my first thought was that he was going to derezz me. But he didn't. He put his disc away after he saw me and he just looked at me. After what seemed like an entire cycle, he kinda smiled at me... and held out his hand." This time she did laugh a little. "I took it. I don't know why, but I did. And," she shrugged, "That's how I met them." Silence fell between them. Pixie didn't know whether to tell Nort about her time with her adoptive family. Essentially, nothing terribly exciting had happened besides some Grid bugs and two Recognizers. She turned to look at Nort, half expecting him to ask for more, but he had gone rigid, head bowed. A flash of nervousness ran through her system; was he going to flip again?

"Um, Nort‒?"

"Quiet," he snapped. He tilted his head to the side, eyes closed in what Pixie could only call concentration. When he opened them again, her middle went very cold; something was very wrong. He jumped off the outcrop, pulling off his disc as he did so.

"What's wrong?" she asked, standing up. He turned around, looking surprised for a moment that she was still there. It didn't stay long, replaced by a carefully neutral expression.

"You need to wake your friends," he said, "There's something coming, and you need to leave‒"

"What? What do you mean, what's coming?"

"There's no time, you need to be prepared to leave‒"

Pixie jumped down, going stand directly in front of him, eyes wide. "No, we can fight. We're not helpless." Nort hissed through his teeth, a sound that scared Pixie more than hearing about this new concern. He glared at her for a picocycle, then pressed his fingers to her temple.

Gray and black images flooded her memory banks, threatening to overpower her. Bugs. Bugs, everywhere. It was a swarm unlike anything she'd ever seen before. Now she understood why Nort was telling her to leave; a swarm like this was a real danger to her and the others.

The images stopped as he pulled back his hand, and she stumbled backwards, shaking her head. "You‒you saw that?"

"Heard it, but I was able to calibrate an image from the data." He looked down at her, grabbing her shoulders. "Listen, you need to wake your friends. I'm going to try and stop them before they reach here, but I can't promise I will."

"How‒"

"I'll explain later. If I'm not able to defeat them, I'll send you a signal that you need to leave." He let go of her, starting to turn away.

"What's the signal?" she asked.

"You'll know if you see it." Not letting her get a chance to say anymore, he took off, running hard in the direction the bugs were coming from. It hit her then that Nort might very well be going to certain deresolution. He could never come back, and all because he was going to save them. For a moment, she just stared at the spot he'd been, trying to make sense of what she was feeling. Worry, definitely, but it didn't feel like the worry she had when she was concerned about the others. Why did she‒

_No. I don't have time to be concerned with this. He'll come back._

Even as she thought it, she wasn't really sure she believed it. "Good luck," she murmured to the air. Now there was no time to waste, she'd done enough of that already. Rex, Codee, everyone, they needed to know, now.

"Rex," she called, running back, "REX!"

The security program stumbled out of the cave, looking around wildly before he caught sight of her. "Pixie, what are you‒"

"We have to wake the others, there's a bug horde coming," she said, brushing past him to where Codee was.

"I‒what?" Rex said. She ignored him, roughly shaking Codee awake before going to where Tera was. "What bugs are you talking about?" This time everyone looked at her.

"This better be good," growled Sync, his eyes still refocusing. Pixie scowled at him before turning to face Rex again.

"We don't have time, we need to be ready to move, Nort said there were hundreds‒"

"Wait, wait, wait," interrupted Rex, narrowing his eyes, "_Nort_ said there were hundreds of bugs?" It occurred to her then that maybe, just maybe, she should have just told Rex instead of waking everyone. But they needed to know, they needed to be ready to move...

"Yes." She paused, trying to keep her circuits from flaring. "He showed me. Rex, we need to be ready to go, he's giving us time to leave‒"

"Leave? You mean he's _gone_? What the Users, Pixie! How could you be so stupid!" exclaimed Sync, eyes alight with anger.

"If you saw what he did, then you'd know he's telling the truth!" she shot back. Panting, she looked at the others, desperately hoping for someone to support her.

"But we didn't," said Tera, trying to remain calm, but Pixie could see the irritation in her eyes. "How do you know he wasn't lying so he could get away? We don't know him very well, Pixie."

"But I do!" she said desperately; why couldn't they just understand?

Sync laughed, and Pixie had to hold back from strangling him. "Of course, because you've known him all of a quarter cycle. So you must have his life story by now, right?"

"Shut up, Sync."

"Tell me, Pixie dearest, does he reciprocate your infatuation‒" She didn't give him chance finish, shoving him as hard as she possibly could. Nobody moved for a picocycle, staring at her and taken completely by surprise with her attack on Sync.

"I'm not infatuated with him," she snarled, glaring at them all to defy her. "I'm not." Sync just sneered, and Pixie knew he didn't believe her. Desperate for support, she looked at Codee. He just glared at her, and she was surprised at amount of passionate dislike in his eyes. It only served to make her even angrier. "Believe what you want, but when he saves us, you'll all be‒"

"Shh," Rex interrupted, holding up his hands. Trying to ignore the burning looks Codee and Sync were giving her, she instead turned her attention to Rex. He had the same look of concentration Nort had had before making the announcement about the bugs.

_Please, please, please, you have to believe me now_. As the words flitted across her eyes, Rex's opened, and Pixie her thoughts were true.

"Discs out, everyone," he commanded, pushing past them to the back of the cave where their batons were stored.

"What? You can't be serious."

"Discs out," he repeated as he handed them their batons. "We've got nanocycles before they arrive." Sync's mouth dropped open for a moment before he pulled his disc off. Pixie would have laughed at him if Nort's vision hadn't returned with a vengeance. As she pulled off her own disc, Rex placed his hand over her shoulder. "I'm sorry we didn't believe you," he said.

"It's not me you should be apologizing to." She followed him out onto the plain above their hide out, the hum of discs keening in the air. Rex's shoulder's tightened, but he didn't say anything.

A wind had come up, blowing miniscule pieces of dust about, but other than the sound of the discs, the Grid was silent. Pixie looked around, half hoping and half dreading that she would see Nort. The plain was free of anything, moving or otherwise.

"Where are they?" whispered Tera. Rex pointed to the north west, the same direction that Nort had gone. "Are you sure?" Rex opened his mouth to reply, but the bugs answered for him. Pixie's coding froze as the faint clicking reached her ears.

"They're here," she breathed. She could see them now, a part of the Grid that was quivering and slithering towards them. The speed that they were approaching was astounding, and soon she could pick out the details of their bodies, their glowing red eyes. It was something from her worst nightmares. Rex began to step forward, disc raised‒

‒And Nort landed in front of them, crouched and facing the oncoming swarm.

"You‒"

"Get back, all of you," he snapped. No one moved. "Now!" When he didn't face them, Pixie began to suspect that that he was not himself. Now she was certain, as his hands shook and his body far too tense. He was a danger to them as well as the bugs.

"You need help, you can't possibly take all of them on," protested Rex. Pixie noticed Nort's circuits start to flicker, and she grabbed Rex's wrist, pulling him away.

"We need to listen to him, he'll be okay," she said. Rex opened his mouth to protest, but she beat him to it. "Please, believe me." He must have seen some of the desperation in her eyes, because he nodded to her.

"Go, go, everyone, now!" he said to the others, directing them away from Nort. Nobody hesitated, not now that they'd seen the bugs and Nort, who obviously intended on killing everything in the near vicinity. As Pixie cast one last look behind her, she saw his circuits finally snap to orange and he attacked the bugs with a vengeance she'd never seen.

"Lightcycles!" Rex commanded, cracking his baton. Around her, lightcycles came into being and she cracked her own, pressing the throttle for all it had.

"Where are we going?" she yelled at Tera. The other program looked at her, pointing somewhere to the south.

"Just follow us, and don't get lost," Tera answered.

* * *

><p>'Where' turned out to be a canyon. When they'd arrived, she'd been in awe; in all her time on the Grid and with her friends, she'd never heard of this place, let alone been to it. As they set up a makeshift camp, Tera explained that it was their back up hide away. Although it looked safer than the place they were at by the Sea, it wasn't. The high walls and twisting passages were confusing, and getting lost meant a slow and painful deresolution. Sound didn't travel near as well, so being ambushed by bugs or Recognizers was more prevalent. But, for short time periods, it was ideal.<p>

Pixie sat at the edge of the cave mouth, looking around in hopes of seeing Nort. They'd been here for what seemed like cycles now, but she knew it had only been about a quarter of a millecycle. Even so, shouldn't they have seen something by now? Surely it couldn't have taken Nort this long to kill the bugs? Somebody sat down beside her, and she looked up to meet Codee's gaze.

"When do you think... when do you think we'll go back?" she asked as she started running her finger around her knee. She'd been about to ask when he thought Nort would come back, but remembered his earlier irritation. Looking at him now, she could see that he was suspicious of her true intent. She swatted playfully at his bangs, trying to put on a smile. "Come on, you must have some idea."

Relaxing visibly, he shrugged and held up his hand. He raised finger, then all of them. Pixie's system slowed; they could be here for just a bit more, or a very long time. Sighing heavily, she leaned back against the wall of the cave.

"How long were you here the last time?" Codee grimaced, drawing three circles in the air. Three cycles. Three whole cycles. That was almost an eternity. They could survive, for sure, but motherboards and Users, it would be _boring._

_Of course, Nort could come back before then. He has to. _How much she wished for it so they could go home and how much just to have her friend back were evenly divided at the moment. As Codee leant against her shoulder, she closed her eyes, wanting to just fall into sleep mode.

Something fell against one of the canyon walls, jerking her back into alertness. The others looked up as well, poised to move if anything else happened. After several long nanocycles, Rex relaxed, turning his attention back to the maps he had opened.

"It's nothing to be concerned about. It's not bugs." Everyone sagged visibly at his words, relieved that they wouldn't have to move anymore tonight. Codee snuggled back into his place on Pixie's shoulder and she leaned her head against his. As she was closing her eyes, a tiny movement caught them.

"What..." She sat up, trying to see what it was. As she screwed her eyes to focus better, her circuits froze. "Rex, Rex, he's back." It was Nort. Not even bothering to wait and see what the others would do, she jumped down from the cave and ran towards her friend. "Nort!" she called. He didn't look up, just kept limping forwards. "Nort?" When he still didn't respond, she became scared; he wasn't still under the control of whatever had corrupted him earlier, was he?

"Pixie! What are you doing?" yelled someone from behind her, but she ignored them. Padding forward tentatively, she went up to Nort and touched his forehead, meaning to brush his hair from his eyes to look at him. He started at her touch, grabbing her wrist reflexively and pulling her far too close for comfort.

"Wait, wait, it's me!" she exclaimed. "Nort, it's me, it's Pixie." He stared at her, looking confused for a nanocycle before letting go, a weak smile on his lips.

"I know," he said, "Just had to be sure." Pixie laughed, her voice high with relief. The sound of running footsteps made her turn around; Rex, Tera, and Sync were staring at Nort with something akin to wonder.

"How did you survive?" asked Rex first. Nort remained silent for several long moments, staring off into space.

"I had to show no mercy," he finally said. The statement itself wasn't terrible, but it still made Pixie's circuits shiver. Coming from him, she knew showing no mercy was different from the others showing no mercy.

Rex nodded hesitantly, "Yes, I suppose you had to. Are they gone now?" Nort nodded. Tera was about to ask him something when his faced creased and he swayed dangerously.

"Nort‒?" Pixie grabbed him before he fell over completely, but nearly collapsed under his sheer weight. Up close, she noticed how pale he really was; what had happened to him? She was about to ask, despite being so close to falling down, as Rex and Tera grabbed him.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Sync, looking almost a little scared. Now supported between the other two programs, Nort looked better, but it didn't stop him from being a little irritated.

"Before you compute anything, I can assure that it's not contagious. One of the bugs just got me before I got it." His voice was had a sharp bite to it and it shut Sync up in a hurry. Pixie couldn't help but feel a little bit smug at it; it was about time Nort stood up for himself. Even Rex and Tera seemed to be hiding smiles.

"Either way, you should rest. Come on, Pixie, Sync, let's get moving."

They helped Nort sit down against the wall upon return, and Tera went to find some Energy. Sync wandered away somewhere while Rex went looking for something. Pixie cast a quick glance at Codee as she sat down in front of Nort; her friend looked nothing less than furious. She really needed to know why.

"Your friends didn't think I would come back, did they?" She looked back to Nort as he spoke. Sighing, she shrugged.

"I don't know, Rex and Tera probably thought you would. Sync would have hoped that you wouldn't. Codee..." She shook her head, pursing her lips as she tried to think of something.

"He doesn't like me, Pixie. I don't blame him."

"Why do you keep saying that?" she exclaimed, getting irritated. Always the hint, never the truth.

"Because it's true. Now, I need your assistance." He removed his disc, placing it in her hands. She raised an eyebrow. Smiling at her expression, he pulled up his system files, scrolling too fast for her to catch anything.

"What are you‒"

"Finding the damaged code." Upon seeing what she assumed was a blank stare, he continued. "It's a trick I picked up a long time ago. If I can find the code and fix it, I'll be able to repair the damage I sustained. And... I think... there you are." Lines of data displayed themselves, throwing both of them into a glowing bath of light. Scrolling through lines, he must have found what he was after as a section of the lines started glowing a dull yellow colour. Pixie felt a hundred questions play in her mouth, but none were given a voice; this process fascinated her.

Nort swiped his finger across the offending lines, gathering them to a point. Pinching them together, he removed the damaged code and crushed it. Pixie stared.

"That's it?"

"That's it." Nort leaned back against the wall, a look of relief going over his face. Pixie sat back down on her heels, looking at the steady stream of codes as they floated lazily above Nort's disc. This was what made him, all these tiny numbers and letters and symbols, they were all that made Nort the program that he was. It suddenly struck her that she was pretty much snooping on something rather private.

"Um, Nort? Would you like your disc back?" she asked, poking him with it gently. He opened his eyes, looking slightly confused, then grabbed his disc. "I didn't see anything," she added quickly, hoping he wouldn't get upset. He ignored her, putting his disc back, his face once more frozen into his default neutral expression. She hadn't done anything, and she still felt horrible. Swinging her legs to get up, she was stopped as Nort grabbed her hand.

"I know you didn't," he said, "I trust that you wouldn't." Those words, and the reassuring look in his eyes, it was too much for her coding, and she couldn't help but smile. She was about to reply when Rex came over, studying them both. After a picocycle, he looked directly at Nort.

"How well do you know the city?"

Surprised, Nort didn't reply right away. "Fairly well, at least according to the last time I was there. Why?"

Rex smiled, actually smiled. "You'll have to, if you want to keep up tomorrow." Pixie stared, wild happiness surging through her. Nort just stared, plainly shocked.

"You mean‒"

"Welcome to the group, Nort."

* * *

><p><strong>No cliffhanger this time! Next chapter, probably... <strong>

**Urgh, reading over that, yeah, I'm not terribly pleased with the ending. But I don't think fussing with it would have done much good. I'm sorry guys :(**

**Next chapter will be in the city! And there will be rallies... The action is coming.**

**Hope you enjoyed it, or at least most of it! See you all next wednesday(posting may be late as I'm starting work next week)!**

**xxx Warriorgrrrl**


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